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
However, South Africa’s history was wrought with geological conflict as erupting volcanoes destroyed traces of preexisting dinosaurs while those beasts were still alive.
—
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
The stage design resembled a giant moon that sometimes felt like the boiling crater of a volcano, with red lights and fireworks exploding over the arena and lighting up the night sky.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2026
Kilauea isn’t just a volcano but the home of the goddess Pele.
—Tommy Orange, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
The film, shot in lustrous black and white by Rosi, explores life in the city in southern Italy where Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano, looms nearby.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
The stage design resembled a giant moon that sometimes felt like the boiling crater of a volcano, with red lights and fireworks exploding over the arena and lighting up the night sky.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2026
Kilauea isn’t just a volcano but the home of the goddess Pele.
—Tommy Orange, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
The film, shot in lustrous black and white by Rosi, explores life in the city in southern Italy where Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano, looms nearby.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volcano
Noun
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Furthermore, the failure to understand how dark-side behaviors undermine psychological safety and collective judgment in day-to-day decision-making contributes to the ticking time bomb problem noted earlier.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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And as the population continues to age, hundreds of millions could soon be leaving the workforce — a demographic crisis and ticking time bomb in one.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There are several other emotional powder kegs that need one little spark, and those babies are going all the way off.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
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This lack of accountability creates a powder keg.—
Joshua Simmons,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The incident became a flash point in ongoing debates over whether immigration officials had gone too far in detaining a young boy.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
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Minneapolis has become a flash point for clashes between federal immigration enforcement agents and agitators, particularly after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Volcano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volcano. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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