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
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Recent Examples of volcano
Instead, the sneaker’s costar is Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, home to the namesake lake that surrounds a ruptured volcano.
—
Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
Melting associated with these volcanoes unlocks carbon that’s been trapped inside rocks for thousands of years, bringing it to Earth's surface.
—Ben Mather, Space.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Washington's Mount Rainier National Park is named for the tallest volcano in the Cascade Range.
—Giovanna Caravetta, Travel + Leisure, 4 Feb. 2026
If wave action breaks a hole into a layer of shelf ice, the NPS said, the formation of an ice volcano or mound can begin.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
Melting associated with these volcanoes unlocks carbon that’s been trapped inside rocks for thousands of years, bringing it to Earth's surface.
—Ben Mather, Space.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Washington's Mount Rainier National Park is named for the tallest volcano in the Cascade Range.
—Giovanna Caravetta, Travel + Leisure, 4 Feb. 2026
If wave action breaks a hole into a layer of shelf ice, the NPS said, the formation of an ice volcano or mound can begin.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volcano
Noun
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Furthermore, the failure to understand how dark-side behaviors undermine psychological safety and collective judgment in day-to-day decision-making contributes to the ticking time bomb problem noted earlier.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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And as the population continues to age, hundreds of millions could soon be leaving the workforce — a demographic crisis and ticking time bomb in one.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There are several other emotional powder kegs that need one little spark, and those babies are going all the way off.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
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This lack of accountability creates a powder keg.—
Joshua Simmons,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The incident became a flash point in ongoing debates over whether immigration officials had gone too far in detaining a young boy.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
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Minneapolis has become a flash point for clashes between federal immigration enforcement agents and agitators, particularly after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Volcano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volcano. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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