1
as in volcanoes
a potentially explosive place or situation that troubled region remains one of the world's most dangerous flash points
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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
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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 flash points One of the flash points in women’s college basketball history unfolded during the 2021 NCAA tournament, when all teams were quarantined in the same bubble in San Antonio for all rounds during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. —
Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 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 Arrests are taking place all over the Chicago area, but some of the biggest flash points have occurred on the South and West Sides, which are home to many of the city’s largest Black and Latino communities. —Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025 Those efforts are now critical as AI and semiconductors become geopolitical flash points. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 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 Arrests are taking place all over the Chicago area, but some of the biggest flash points have occurred on the South and West Sides, which are home to many of the city’s largest Black and Latino communities. —Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025 Those efforts are now critical as AI and semiconductors become geopolitical flash points. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash points
Noun
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From towering volcanoes to fish-flying markets, the Pacific Northwest packs a remarkable range of experiences into one corner of the country.— Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
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Located inside the Big Island of Hawaii's sprawling Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea is among the most active volcanoes on Earth.— Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Throughout several consecutive years of unprecedented crises, the story follows a movement pushed to its limits.— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
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There has been intense speculation about the role that mental health crises might have played in both shootings.— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
Noun
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For centuries, these islands have been at the crossroads of empires, trade routes and cultures.— Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
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The multitude of water managers tasked with overseeing the drying Colorado River system stand at a dire crossroads.— Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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The event included the greeting of heads of delegation and the traditional family photo, ahead of the start of the leadersâ meeting.— Armando Regil Velasco, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
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Tolle showed off his renowned 99 mph fastball while mixing in an improved arsenal of secondary pitches, and the Yankees couldn’t make heads or tails of him the first time through the order.— Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flash points.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/flash%20points. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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