1
as in volcanoes
a potentially explosive place or situation
that troubled region remains one of the world's most dangerous flash points
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2
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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Recent Examples of flash points
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
But more potential flash points loom.
—Jill Lawless The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
Policymakers expect other flash points.
—Alan Greenblatt, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
And a handful of standout horror films from around the ’70s, Johnson argues, specifically mirrored and even accelerated feminist flash points at a moment when public opinion regarding the roles and rights of women was wildly in flux.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
Arrests are taking place all over the Chicago area, but some of the biggest flash points have occurred on the South and West Sides, which are home to many of the city’s largest Black and Latino communities.
—Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
Those efforts are now critical as AI and semiconductors become geopolitical flash points.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
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
But more potential flash points loom.
—Jill Lawless The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
Policymakers expect other flash points.
—Alan Greenblatt, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
And a handful of standout horror films from around the ’70s, Johnson argues, specifically mirrored and even accelerated feminist flash points at a moment when public opinion regarding the roles and rights of women was wildly in flux.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
Arrests are taking place all over the Chicago area, but some of the biggest flash points have occurred on the South and West Sides, which are home to many of the city’s largest Black and Latino communities.
—Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
Those efforts are now critical as AI and semiconductors become geopolitical flash points.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash points
Noun
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On the ride itself, visitors will see high-def erupting volcanoes, frozen landscapes as well as wildlife including seals, sperm whales, polar bears and beluga whales, during a watery virtual plunge.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
-
Although 99 percent of Antarctica is covered with ice, the landscape still manages to be stunningly diverse—surreal blue glaciers, active volcanoes, the rough waterways of the Drake Passage, and 360-degree views of untouched snow.—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw
May 20,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 May 2026
Noun
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The Institute observed that a UBI program did not necessarily cause inflation; delivery system strength is key; an effective communication strategy is essential; the UBI program should fit within existing schemes; and crises shed light on the gaps in social protection systems.—
Carrie Brandon Elliot,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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As mental health crises and resources continue to stretch, many fear the consequences could echo the fallout from the Covid pandemic.—
Will Barker,
TheWeek,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Initially trained in physics at Imperial College London before working at Amazon, Cuturi approaches the art world with the logic of a strategist but the instincts of a collector, positioning his gallery at the crossroads between Southeast Asia and Europe rather than simply another Parisian outpost.—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
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DiVincenzo is an easy player to plug into a variety of lineups, as the last few years have shown, but that’s a difficult injury to be at a crossroads for.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
-
Heher and Hartje exchanged words after the play, and players and coaches from both benches streamed onto the field before cooler heads prevailed.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
23 May 2026
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Friday's episode of SmackDown was mostly uneventful as WWE heads for back-to-back weekends of premium live events.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flash points.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20points. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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