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

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
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.
The gaps hint that a critical flash point of America’s political impasse may be misunderstood. Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024 But between these major flash points were hundreds of smaller moments that caught the internet’s attention. Natasha Frost, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024 But the draft has remained controversial – even becoming a flash point in heated gender wars. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 26 Nov. 2024 The Tennessee law emerged as an ideological flash point last year amid conservative backlash to a Nashville gender-affirming care clinic that treated some high-risk adolescents. Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 24 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for flash point 

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flash point was in 1878

Dictionary Entries Near flash point

Cite this Entry

“Flash point.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flash%20point. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on flash point

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!