as in time bomb
a potentially explosive place or situation
after months of tension the roommates' living situation was a volcano
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 volcano
This process, called vitrification, requires temperatures over 1,100 °C, about as hot as lava flowing from a volcano.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 1 Jan. 2025
The holiday season almost ended in tragedy for one family after a toddler nearly fell off a 400-foot cliff in Hawaii near the island's erupting Kilauea volcano.
—Danielle Jennings, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024
The system has been in place since 2017 because catching the sunrise from the top of this volcano is supposedly a transcendent experience.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 6 Jan. 2025
But despite the catastrophic effects of the eruption, the identity of the volcano responsible had long been the subject of significant debate.
—Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for volcano 
IEEE Spectrum, 1 Jan. 2025
The holiday season almost ended in tragedy for one family after a toddler nearly fell off a 400-foot cliff in Hawaii near the island's erupting Kilauea volcano.
—Danielle Jennings, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024
The system has been in place since 2017 because catching the sunrise from the top of this volcano is supposedly a transcendent experience.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 6 Jan. 2025
But despite the catastrophic effects of the eruption, the identity of the volcano responsible had long been the subject of significant debate.
—Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for volcano
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volcano
Noun
-
And Waves, the Czech ticking time bomb historical thriller, audience award winner at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, won over the Academy.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Dec. 2024
-
The obesity epidemic is a ticking time bomb, and the current system of trial and error isn't cutting it.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Mobilizing more military hardware, stationing U.S. forces closer to opponents, and spurring weapons proliferation among allies only makes the region more of a powder keg.—
Van Jackson,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Oct. 2021
-
Although much of it was filmed in Ontario, the series has a good sense of Philadelphia as a stratified powder keg of a city.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Funding for Ukraine has been a frequent flash point in government funding negotiations since Russia’s 2022 invasion, and the spigot is likely to close upon Trump’s inauguration.—
Sylvan Lane,
The Hill,
10 Dec. 2024
-
What had been an inconvenience in one direction is now a blockage for both, a potential flash point.—
Alfredo Sosa,
The Christian Science Monitor,
13 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near volcano
Cite this Entry
“Volcano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volcano. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share