as in volcano
a potentially explosive place or situation
the region's political instability has turned it into a ticking time bomb
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Recent Examples of time bomb
Mahnaz’s son is a Tasmanian devil spinning his ticking time bomb energy into entrepreneurial pursuits (running a gambling ring at school), bullying classmates and yelling at any adult that interferes with his forcefield.
—
Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 22 May 2025
Family travel in the summer is a bit like flying with a piña colada in one hand and a ticking time bomb in the other.
—Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Furthermore, as the global energy demand continues to rise, especially in emerging economies which have very limited energy security, which makes the fossil fuel dependency a ticking time bomb.
—Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Books Orwell’s 5 greatest essays: No. 1, ‘Politics and the English Language’
Nov. 8, 2013
Some Wodehouse lines are like time bombs, detonating with a momentary delay.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for time bomb
Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 22 May 2025
Family travel in the summer is a bit like flying with a piña colada in one hand and a ticking time bomb in the other.
—Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Furthermore, as the global energy demand continues to rise, especially in emerging economies which have very limited energy security, which makes the fossil fuel dependency a ticking time bomb.
—Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Books Orwell’s 5 greatest essays: No. 1, ‘Politics and the English Language’
Nov. 8, 2013
Some Wodehouse lines are like time bombs, detonating with a momentary delay.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for time bomb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for time bomb
volcano
Noun
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Lava erupting from the Erta Ale volcano in the Afar region of Ethiopia.—
Ian Randall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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Even with the uncertainty of war, Stanton noted there are bigger worries for air carriers, like volcanoes.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Time bomb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/time%20bomb. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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