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.

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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

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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]

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Etymology

Origin of time bomb

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

In other words, this was a time bomb waiting to go off.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

But being around them is a ticking time bomb.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

Read: Why copper is a ‘ticking time bomb for explosive price action’

From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025

Sei Wook Cho said his "daily existence is a time bomb of fear" that the grandmother would find out, according to a statement also read to the court.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

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