Thesaurus results for FLASH POINTS

flash points

noun

plural of flash point

as in volcanoes

a potentially explosive place or situation that troubled region remains one of the world's most dangerous flash points

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in crises

a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action tensions between the two longtime adversaries were at a flash point

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of flash points The number of geopolitical flash points would multiply as governments rushed to grab their share of the oceans and protect their claims through force. — Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026 The dispute over the route became one of the defining flash points of the conflict in Northern Ireland. — Amanda Ferguson Reuters, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026 And it’s been one of the country’s most visible flash points in the race to build new critical-mineral mines. — Justin Worland, Time, 4 Aug. 2026 Kashmir remains one of the world’s most contentious geopolitical flash points. — Peter Dziedzic, The Conversation, 30 July 2026 Amid noise, close quarters, and rigid routines, interactions become flash points. — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026 The context for Xi’s remarks was a potential war between China and the United States over Taiwan, and the urgency to tamp down flash points. — Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 17 May 2026 Despite the focus on the Middle East, the leaders took up major regional flash points, including the South China Sea territorial disputes involving Beijing, a five-year civil war in Myanmar and a recent border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. — Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026 Policymakers expect other flash points. — Alan Greenblatt, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash points

Noun

An important hazard is also associated with the glaciers on the steep-sided volcanoes of the Cascade Range, which stretches from California to Washington.

— Andrew Fountain, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
Trace Hawai‘i’s Volcanoes At Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, trails and scenic drives cross landscapes shaped by Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, two of the world’s most active volcanoes.

— Kevin Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of volcanoes

Noun

As crises in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea become more linked amid an expanding regional war, replicating the patchwork maritime strategy that never fully worked would be a serious mistake.

— Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2026
The latest attack came as part of the ongoing war between the army and the RSF, which broke out in April 2023, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to aid organizations.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of crises

Noun

Apple’s Alex Kirschner has also reportedly said that the defect appears on affected units very quickly, so buyers won’t have to wonder if their expensive foldables are ticking time bombs.

— Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026
As Hedda Gabler warned, bored women are time bombs whose agitation puts everyone at risk.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of time bombs

Noun

The intense temperature and pressure of the impact heated the moon's crust and mantle so much that many of the volatile elements present (volatiles are elements with low boiling points), including potassium, evaporated and escaped into space.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Thermodynamics drives selective recovery The researchers hypothesized that FJH combined with chlorine gas could exploit differences in Gibbs free energy and boiling points to selectively remove non-REE elements from magnet waste.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025

Definition of boiling points

Noun

Or will the Rays send the Brewers back to Milwaukee with a little bit of doubt in their heads?

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Later, a young woman in a black dress, mimicking what Helena wears on screen, makes an entrance and heads straight to the front to take photos with the casket and flower arrangements that re-create the scene.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of heads

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“Flash points.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20points. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of flash points

noun

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