tinderbox

noun

tin·​der·​box ˈtin-dər-ˌbäks 

1

a

: a metal box for holding tinder and usually a flint and steel for striking a spark

b

: a highly inflammable object or place

2

: a potentially explosive place or situation

Synonyms

• flash point
• powder keg
• time bomb
• volcano

Examples of tinderbox in a Sentence

That old house is really a tinderbox.

officials sought to calm the situation, which had grown into a tinderbox

Recent Examples on the Web

Millions of Californians already live in tinderbox canyons and at the edges of shrub fields and overgrown forests. —Calmatters, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025

Urban warfare The Los Angeles inferno adds another difficulty: an urban tinderbox. —Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025

Nigeria, on track to become more populous than China by the end of the century, could turn central Africa into a tinderbox. —Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2025

After almost a year of a brutal war with Hamas in Gaza, Israel is at the center of a tinderbox of multiple, interrelated Middle East conflicts. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for tinderbox

• aftershocks
• chatterbox
• equinox
• goldilocks
• hollyhocks
• interlocks
• orthodox
• paradox
• tomahawks
• balks
• blocks
• blocs

Kids Definition

tinderbox

noun

tin·​der·​box -ˌbäks 

1

: a metal box for holding tinder and usually a flint and steel for striking a spark

2

: something that can easily catch fire