time bomb

American  

noun

1. a bomb constructed so as to explode at a certain time.

2. a situation, condition, etc., resembling such a bomb in having disastrous consequences in the future.

---

time bomb British  

noun

1. a bomb containing a timing mechanism that determines the time at which it will detonate

2. a situation which, if allowed to continue, will develop into a serious problem

---

time bomb Idioms  

1. A situation that threatens to have disastrous consequences at some future time, as in That departmental dispute is a time bomb just waiting to go off. This term alludes to an explosive device that is set to go off at a specific time. [First half of 1900s]

---

Etymology

Origin of time bomb

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

time bomb

"This is a time bomb of accumulated waste management problems that have been ignored for years without fundamental improvements," Wahyu Eka Styawan, a campaigner with Walhi, told the BBC.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

“You must be held strictly accountable for your lab’s raw data. If you refuse to manage it, you are actively planting a ticking time bomb under your own career.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

But underneath the complex and expensive megamerger sits a potential time bomb that could be triggered if regulators elsewhere create significant roadblocks.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

In recent months, the iconic ticking stopwatch of the CBS News magazine “60 Minutes” began to sound like a time bomb.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

The concept of the irrational was hidden like a time bomb inside Greek mathematics.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• powder keg