1
as in volcano
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 crisis
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
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Recent Examples of flash point
While the impact of a costlier iPhone likely wouldn't mean much from a larger economic perspective, the saber-rattling underscores the volatility of trade policy and provides another flash point for a market already unnerved by worries about fiscal policy that have sent bond yields sharply higher.
—
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 23 May 2025
It’s been a flash point for racial profiling, particularly against Black men.
—Boutayna Chokrane, Wired News, 3 Apr. 2025
Maine has become a flash point after the state vowed noncompliance with Trump’s executive order barring their participation in girls sports.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2025
In short, this is a serious flash point for any organization.
—Usman Javaid, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 23 May 2025
It’s been a flash point for racial profiling, particularly against Black men.
—Boutayna Chokrane, Wired News, 3 Apr. 2025
Maine has become a flash point after the state vowed noncompliance with Trump’s executive order barring their participation in girls sports.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2025
In short, this is a serious flash point for any organization.
—Usman Javaid, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash point
Noun
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The team analyzed 130 rock samples from volcanoes in the Afar region.—
Nora Bradford,
Scientific American,
7 July 2025
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Geologists recorded an avalanche of searing gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava traveling up to 3 miles down the volcano's slopes during the eruption.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
Noun
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Stablecoins have, historically, flourished where there is economic instability and global crisis may further support the cross-border reliance on the stability of the U.S. currency.—
Priya Prakash Royal Esq. LL.M. MBA AEP TEP,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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After signing it Monday evening, Newsom heralded it as a solution to the state’s affordability crisis, which reached a fever pitch last year and peaked when a series of wildfires devastated Los Angeles in January, burning thousands of homes.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2025
Noun
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Le Carré is not writing of ticking time bombs or plots to overthrow democracy, but of minor skirmishes behind the lines.—
Rav Grewal-Kök
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
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There is a ticking time bomb hanging over the economy this year, because Trump’s first-term tax cuts are going to expire at year-end.—
Kelly Evans,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Tensions between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres reached a boiling point during the top of the ninth inning of the Padres' 5-3 win at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2025
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These frustrations reached a boiling point last week.—
Henry Gass,
Christian Science Monitor,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Now, Maineri heads into year 12 with 18 pitchers on his roster, hoping that rising junior Caleb Gilbert and sophomore-to-be Zach Hess will emerge at the top of the pitching rotation.—
John Roach,
NOLA.com,
19 July 2017
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There's always one shot that leaves a golfer shaking his or her head.—
Mike Hutton,
Post-Tribune,
19 July 2017
Noun
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If the Trump administration continues to create a sense of uncertainty about the U.S. security guarantee to South Korea, for example, leaders in Seoul could reach a breaking point.—
FLORENCE GAUB,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
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Plans from earlier this month will hit a breaking point.—
Liz Simmons,
StyleCaster,
24 June 2025
Noun
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But a series of lousy draft picks and a lack of an attractive infrastructure — that imaginary permanent practice facility is being built any day now! — have kept them from acquiring the sort of superstars that carry teams in crunch time, the kind of difference-makers this town deserves.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2025
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In crunch time, the Thunder successfully countered the Pacers’ blitzing coverage on the MVP by having Williams sit in the weak-side slot.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flash point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20point. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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