1
as in volcano
a potentially explosive place or situation
officials sought to calm the situation, which had grown into a tinderbox
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2
as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
while the country's prime minister was meeting with the U.S. president, a political tinderbox was igniting at home
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Recent Examples of tinderbox
The whole place is a tinderbox.
—
Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Unlike natural thinning, large fire-resilient trees are typically high-graded for felling in Jackson, creating tinderboxes of 300 to 500 mostly juvenile trees per acre.
—John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Keeping the lake low has turned 500 acres of lakebed into a tinderbox — dry invasive grasses with moisture content under 5% — directly in the path of Santa Ana winds.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
In a naturally occurring tinderbox, there’s only so much local officials can do to prevent fires.
—Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Unlike natural thinning, large fire-resilient trees are typically high-graded for felling in Jackson, creating tinderboxes of 300 to 500 mostly juvenile trees per acre.
—John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Keeping the lake low has turned 500 acres of lakebed into a tinderbox — dry invasive grasses with moisture content under 5% — directly in the path of Santa Ana winds.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
In a naturally occurring tinderbox, there’s only so much local officials can do to prevent fires.
—Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderbox
Noun
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Elsewhere in the trailer, chaos ensues, as Nate gets into a car accident, leading to the explosion of his daughter’s model volcano.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
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Other local highlights include exploring the small main village and taking a nighttime boat ride to see the glowing volcano.—
Elizabeth Heath,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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City leaders in Lake Dallas got more than an earful from residents who believe they were failed during a crisis in late March when a house explosion critically injured Jessica Bailey Lopez.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Don’t wait for your first crisis to act.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Instead of posing questions about geography or world affairs, the test asked him to tackle hypothetical situations, from the frustrating to the dangerous.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Christie acknowledged that the Kings were in a difficult position given their recent schedule injury situation.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderbox. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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