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
But more potential flash points loom.
—
Jill Lawless The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
But, of course, schools were a frequent flash point during Emanuel’s mayoral tenure.
—Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Taxes can often represent a flash point between a government and its people.
—Kent Jones, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2026
Trump’s immigration agenda reached a flash point last week following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, a Minnesota woman federal officials allege impeded an ICE operation in Minneapolis by using her vehicle as a weapon.
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Jill Lawless The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
But, of course, schools were a frequent flash point during Emanuel’s mayoral tenure.
—Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Taxes can often represent a flash point between a government and its people.
—Kent Jones, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2026
Trump’s immigration agenda reached a flash point last week following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, a Minnesota woman federal officials allege impeded an ICE operation in Minneapolis by using her vehicle as a weapon.
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash point
Noun
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Another brilliant show of Earth's power was caught on camera over the weekend when a geyser of molten rock burst from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
-
This dormant volcano provided a majestic backdrop for the resort—our home base for five days.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, city staff are also examining ways to provide regular and emergency assistance to Los Angeles restaurants, as well as provide additional support to legacy restaurants in financial crisis.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
26 Feb. 2026
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With the sick astronaut's identity still a secret, Fincke said at a news conference the space station's ultrasound machine came in handy during the medical crisis.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Furthermore, the failure to understand how dark-side behaviors undermine psychological safety and collective judgment in day-to-day decision-making contributes to the ticking time bomb problem noted earlier.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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And as the population continues to age, hundreds of millions could soon be leaving the workforce — a demographic crisis and ticking time bomb in one.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Over the last week, tensions between the Pentagon and artificial intelligence giant Anthropic have reached a boiling point.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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These tensions reportedly reached a boiling point last week when, by its own admission, the BNRA fatally shot a PDF fighter in a dispute over a weapon.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Over his last four seasons as head coach, including 2021 in New Orleans, Payton’s offense has not ranked inside the top 10 in points and yards.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
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Avtar had worked as the temple’s head cook for the last 23 years, and he was deeply involved in service to both the Sikh community and the Tracy area in general, Deep said.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Our old country roads weren’t built for this volume, and the strain is reaching a breaking point.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, President Trump is pushing the international order to a breaking point, and European leaders are speculating about a new path forward for their collective nuclear defense.—
NPR,
NPR,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But the story accelerates in 2021, in crunch time for prospective World Cup cities, as FIFA officials toured 23 of them before picking 16.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Welcome to February’s gym crunch time, when winter sports teams such as basketball are busy with playoffs and spring sports teams such as volleyball are gearing up for the start of their season.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flash point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20point. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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