as in volcanoes
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 bombs
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
Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for time bombs
volcanoes
Noun
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The world is home to gigantic storms bigger than Australia, 100-mph winds pummeling its northern reaches and a rocky moon named Io orbiting it that is notoriously riddled with lava-spewing volcanoes.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
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However, South Africa’s history was wrought with geological conflict as erupting volcanoes destroyed traces of preexisting dinosaurs while those beasts were still alive.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Time bombs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/time%20bombs. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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