flash point

noun

1

: the lowest temperature at which vapors above a volatile combustible substance ignite in air when exposed to flame

2

: a point at which someone or something bursts suddenly into action or being

3

: tinderbox sense 2

Synonyms

• powder keg
• time bomb
• tinderbox
• volcano

Examples of flash point in a Sentence

The city became a flash point as political tensions grew.

The situation reached a flash point when union leaders urged the workers to protest.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

It’s been a flash point for racial profiling, particularly against Black men. —Boutayna Chokrane, Wired News, 3 Apr. 2025

Maine has become a flash point after the state vowed noncompliance with Trump’s executive order barring their participation in girls sports. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for flash point

• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint