flash points

noun

plural of flash point
1
as in volcanoes
a potentially explosive place or situation that troubled region remains one of the world's most dangerous flash points

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in crises
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action tensions between the two longtime adversaries were at a flash point

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 flash points And it’s been one of the country’s most visible flash points in the race to build new critical-mineral mines. — Justin Worland, Time, 4 Aug. 2026 Kashmir remains one of the world’s most contentious geopolitical flash points. — Peter Dziedzic, The Conversation, 30 July 2026 Amid noise, close quarters, and rigid routines, interactions become flash points. — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026 The context for Xi’s remarks was a potential war between China and the United States over Taiwan, and the urgency to tamp down flash points. — Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 17 May 2026 Despite the focus on the Middle East, the leaders took up major regional flash points, including the South China Sea territorial disputes involving Beijing, a five-year civil war in Myanmar and a recent border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. — Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026 But more potential flash points loom. — Jill Lawless The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026 Policymakers expect other flash points. — Alan Greenblatt, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026 And a handful of standout horror films from around the ’70s, Johnson argues, specifically mirrored and even accelerated feminist flash points at a moment when public opinion regarding the roles and rights of women was wildly in flux. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash points
  1. volcanoes
  2. crises
  3. time bombs
  4. crossroads
  5. boiling points
  6. heads
Noun
  • At the same time, states like Hawaii and Washington earned high scores for very different reasons, thanks to their volcanoes, towering peaks, and thousands of waterfalls.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026
  • However, beneath the park lies an enormous volcanic system capable of producing eruptions far larger than those associated with conventional volcanoes.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of volcanoes
Noun
  • Africa's most populous country will hold the election against a backdrop of worsening economic and security crises that have caused anger among voters against Tinubu's government.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The sharp increase in the need for mental health services, along with the wave of police reforms, spurred departments nationwide to find better ways to respond to personal crises.
    — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of crises
Noun
  • 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
Definition of time bombs
Noun
  • By 2004, Michael, Magic and Bird had officially hung up their sneakers, and the NBA was failing during its critical crossroads.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Hilton argued that California is at a crossroads, pointing to residents and businesses moving out of the state.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of crossroads
Noun
  • The intense temperature and pressure of the impact heated the moon's crust and mantle so much that many of the volatile elements present (volatiles are elements with low boiling points), including potassium, evaporated and escaped into space.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Thermodynamics drives selective recovery The researchers hypothesized that FJH combined with chlorine gas could exploit differences in Gibbs free energy and boiling points to selectively remove non-REE elements from magnet waste.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
Definition of boiling points
Noun
  • Their heads are broad and coppery in color, and their eyes have vertical, catlike pupils.
    — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Given that characterization, Giacometti-heads will likely fork over serious dough for this work, especially given its provenance.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of heads

Browse Nearby Words

flash point
flash points
flashy
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Cite this Entry

“Flash points.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20points. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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