as in time bomb
a potentially explosive place or situation
after months of tension the roommates' living situation was a volcano
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of volcano
On the day that the image was taken, the lava flow covered a two-mile-long course from the Bocca Nuova crater—one of five at Etna's summit—down the volcano's southwestern flank.
—
Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
Runaway camels and primordial volcano tremors make for clumsy attempts at literary symbolism, but such details — combined with a tourist culture that seems frozen in the ’80s, and a Dascha Dauenhauer score rooted in classic noir — contribute to the feeling of a place unstuck in time.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2025
Located high on a hilltop surrounded by foliage, the view is of the six surrounding dormant volcanoes sometimes edged with mist.
—Laurie Werner, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025
But tremors from the volcano on nearby Lanzarote seem like an ominous signal to move on.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
Runaway camels and primordial volcano tremors make for clumsy attempts at literary symbolism, but such details — combined with a tourist culture that seems frozen in the ’80s, and a Dascha Dauenhauer score rooted in classic noir — contribute to the feeling of a place unstuck in time.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2025
Located high on a hilltop surrounded by foliage, the view is of the six surrounding dormant volcanoes sometimes edged with mist.
—Laurie Werner, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025
But tremors from the volcano on nearby Lanzarote seem like an ominous signal to move on.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volcano
Noun
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Doug is a ticking time bomb …on several levels, probably.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2025
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That would mean a country suffering from the particular malaise that’s afflicted Japan, Norway, the U.K. and elsewhere: an aging population with a dwindling worker base, essentially an economic ticking time bomb.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Her fluffy, frivolous style works well for Isla, who is a giggly pretty princess most of the time but a powder keg of anger when threatened.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
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That song is a powder keg, a dynamic storehouse of raw, undiluted energy.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The report identified specific flash points, including cross-border water tensions, and said some countries could experience instability, including from straining food and energy systems.—
Somini Sengupta,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
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And nearly a third of these counties settled their races by just over a point, meaning real estate woes turned these counties into political flash points.—
Jasmine Cui,
NBC News,
10 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Volcano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volcano. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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