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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El Niño cycles So scientists went digging for answers to the mystery heat, tapping ideas from volcanoes to the sun to the clouds floating overhead.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
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Kilauea, one of Hawaii’s most active volcanoes, just erupted, sending lava over 1,000 feet into the air and visitors to the state’s most famous national park scrambling for cover.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Time bombs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/time%20bombs. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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