as in time bomb
a potentially explosive place or situation after months of tension the roommates' living situation was a volcano

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of volcano Read Next National Toddler nearly plunges off cliff at Hawaii volcano, officials say. Sara Schilling, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2025 This image from webcam footage provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) shows lava fountains shooting up high in the latest episode of an ongoing eruption of Kilauea volcano inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. CBS News, 12 June 2025 Outside the room where this 39-year-old accountant lies in bed, there are earthquakes and sinkholes and volcanoes erupting in Germany. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025 One of the world's most active volcanoes, Kilauea on Hawaii's Big Island, began spewing lava from the north vent Wednesday, the latest event in an ongoing eruption that began almost six months ago. CBS News, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for volcano
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volcano
Noun
  • Le Carré is not writing of ticking time bombs or plots to overthrow democracy, but of minor skirmishes behind the lines.
    Rav Grewal-Kök June 16, Literary Hub, 16 June 2025
  • There is a ticking time bomb hanging over the economy this year, because Trump’s first-term tax cuts are going to expire at year-end.
    Kelly Evans, CNBC, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • The rift between Carlson and Cruz demonstrates that even among President Trump’s biggest supporters, there’s been considerable debate about how the U.S. should deal with the powder keg situation that escalated Friday when Israel launched airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear and military facilities.
    Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025
  • But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 9 June 2025
Noun
  • That game, which began with three fights in the first minute, was a cultural flash point for hockey and brought significantly more interest in the tournament than expected.
    Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 16 June 2025
  • While the impact of a costlier iPhone likely wouldn't mean much from a larger economic perspective, the saber-rattling underscores the volatility of trade policy and provides another flash point for a market already unnerved by worries about fiscal policy that have sent bond yields sharply higher.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 23 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Volcano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volcano. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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