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
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
With his new book The Message, Ta-Nehisi Coates, a journalist who indelibly shaped the national conversation on race in America during the Obama years, turns his scrupulous attention toward yet another tinderbox of a problem: that of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
—
Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
In this tinderbox environment, when a tweet, press release, or even silence on a trending issue can ignite a firestorm, the stakes for CEOs have never been higher.
—Tracy Lawrence, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
The area around Shebaa has been a long-standing tinderbox.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
Read more Spiking West Bank violence adds another front
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.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinderbox 
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Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
In this tinderbox environment, when a tweet, press release, or even silence on a trending issue can ignite a firestorm, the stakes for CEOs have never been higher.
—Tracy Lawrence, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
The area around Shebaa has been a long-standing tinderbox.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
Read more Spiking West Bank violence adds another front
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.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinderbox
Dictionary Entries Near tinderbox
Cite this Entry
“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinderbox. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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