flash point

Or flashpoint

noun

1. Physical Chemistry.,  Also the lowest temperature at which a liquid in a specified apparatus will give off sufficient vapor to ignite momentarily on application of a flame.

2. a critical point or stage at which something or someone suddenly causes or creates some significant action.

   A 10 percent drop in mortgage rates will produce a flash point in the housing market.

3. a critical situation or area having the potential of erupting in sudden violence.

   The Mideast has been the flash point for a series of conflicts.

flash point

noun

1. the lowest temperature at which the vapour above a liquid can be ignited in air

2. a critical moment beyond which a situation will inevitably erupt into violence

   the political mood has reached flash point

flash point

1. The lowest temperature at which the vapor of a flammable liquid will ignite in air. The flash point is generally lower than the temperature needed for the liquid itself to ignite.

flash point

1. For a given flammable substance, the lowest temperature at which vapors passing from the substance into the air will catch fire spontaneously if a small flame is present.

Word History and Origins

Origin of flash point¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The suspension was lifted five days later, after it generated widespread backlash and became a flash point for free speech debates in the U.S.

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Much of tradwives’ messaging revolves around cultural flash points, problems that underscore anxiety about modern womanhood: challenges in forming stable relationships, providing nutritious meals, and building a career while trying to raise a family.

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Yet with each subsequent racial flash point, from the arrest of Henry Louis Gates in 2009 to the murder of George Floyd, calls resurfaced for the national conversation.

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The current heated political climate and the attack on cultural institutions on and off screen was also a flash point, even though much of it was bleeped for viewers.

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It seems as if college campuses have become a flash point of violence in the U.S.

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Related Words

• turning point