1
as in volcano
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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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flash point
Abrego Garcia became a flash point over President Trump’s immigration policies when he was deported in March to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador.
—
Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported and became a flash point in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
—arkansasonline.com, 4 July 2025
The Vance meme has become a political flash point in itself.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
While use of the Latin Mass remains a flash point, a controversy in the rapidly growing Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., has raised questions about the status of other liturgical traditions and symbols.
—Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported and became a flash point in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
—arkansasonline.com, 4 July 2025
The Vance meme has become a political flash point in itself.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
While use of the Latin Mass remains a flash point, a controversy in the rapidly growing Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., has raised questions about the status of other liturgical traditions and symbols.
—Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash point
Noun
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About an hour ferry ride from Milazzo, Vulcano lures visitors with its active volcano, Gran Cratere, and open-air mud baths just steps from the port, where bathers slather on the mineral-rich goodness before rinsing in the sea.—
Nicky Swallow,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Aug. 2025
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Researchers monitor the volcano through instruments and cables that extend from the coast.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The flip side of such consolidated investment in one tech sector is a giant economic vulnerability that could lead to a financial crisis.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
18 Aug. 2025
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This crisis is particularly devastating for children.—
Karen Cohn,
New York Daily News,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But state officials knew those ARPA dollars would be exhausted by 2026 and that using them to cover recurring expenses was a ticking fiscal time bomb, a huge hole that eventually would have to be filled some other way.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
2 Aug. 2025
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Both technologies promised transformative value but became liability time bombs when deployed without guardrails.—
Jacques Nack,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Noun
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In episode 3 of Outlander: Blood of My Blood, the question of who will step in to lead Clan MacKenzie after the death of Red Jacob (Peter Mullan) reaches a boiling point.—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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If the surface is at least 400° Fahrenheit (well above the boiling point of water), cushions of water vapor, or steam, form underneath them, keeping them levitated.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
14 Aug. 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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Iraq was plunged into a nationwide blackout earlier this week, as a temperature surge to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50° Celsius) — and subsequent spiking demand for electricity — pushed the country's faltering power grid to the breaking point.—
Natasha Turak,
CNBC,
15 Aug. 2025
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When continents stretch and split, space opens beneath the breaking point and is rapidly filled with semi-molten asthenosphere, Gernon said.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Trump’s trip to the Capitol underscores that the GOP is entering crunch time with the reconciliation package, which contains key pieces of Trump’s agenda on taxes, border funding and spending.—
Mychael Schnell,
The Hill,
20 May 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Flash point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20point. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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