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
The issue has become a flash point for Republicans to signal their stance on immigration.
—
Max Rego, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
Rhetoric about Taiwan, the most prominent flash point for Chinese sovereignty, is an example of the historical origins of the issue.
—David C. Kang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2025
Yet with each subsequent racial flash point, from the arrest of Henry Louis Gates in 2009 to the murder of George Floyd, calls resurfaced for the national conversation.
—Lee Bebout, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2025
Early on, Feld became Chicago’s most divisive restaurant, a flash point for critics of highfalutin many-course tasting menus.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Max Rego, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
Rhetoric about Taiwan, the most prominent flash point for Chinese sovereignty, is an example of the historical origins of the issue.
—David C. Kang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2025
Yet with each subsequent racial flash point, from the arrest of Henry Louis Gates in 2009 to the murder of George Floyd, calls resurfaced for the national conversation.
—Lee Bebout, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2025
Early on, Feld became Chicago’s most divisive restaurant, a flash point for critics of highfalutin many-course tasting menus.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash point
Noun
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The Highlands The Highlands are an untamed region full of volcanoes, black deserts, and crater lakes.—
Gwen Nicol,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Oct. 2025
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Europe's largest active volcano is constantly monitored for its next eruption.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In effect, farmers in rural America have warned of an impending economic crisis from the compounding factors of losing their top export market, falling crop prices and high costs.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
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Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Directed by Moses from a screenplay he co-wrote with Federico Sargentone and Katja Horvat, the film follows protagonist Ham, who wakes up with a time bomb on his chest.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
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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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Things reached a boiling point between Katie and Mike during the peak of the pandemic baking trend.—
Mara Santilli,
Flow Space,
29 Oct. 2025
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In fact the water it’s formed from sometimes spurts out of the ground at boiling point.—
Barry Neild,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His body was found with four shots to the back and head in November 1990 in Dixie County.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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That was also Payton’s first season as an NFL head coach in New Orleans.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Losing to Pitt at home was the breaking point — though, frankly, the Panthers look like a new team since inserting Mason Heintschel at quarterback.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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Companies that prepare ahead of time will be rewarded; those that don’t risk being forced to change only once the crisis gets to a breaking point.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In crunch time, stability teamed with chaos to close out the Lakers as LeBron James watched from his seat on the sideline.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
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So, the defense doubled down on dominance in crunch time.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flash point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20point. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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