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
There are about 170 potentially active volcanoes, including Kilauea, in the United States, according to the USGS.
—
Megan Forrester, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2025
The volcano — known by its Māori name Taranaki Maunga — is no longer under the ownership of the New Zealand government as of Jan. 30, NBC News reported.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 1 Feb. 2025
The Axial Seamount is a massive undersea volcano that reaches more than 3,600 feet above the seabed, 300 miles offshore.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025
At nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, the Mauna Kea volcano is the tallest peak in Hawaii.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for volcano 
Megan Forrester, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2025
The volcano — known by its Māori name Taranaki Maunga — is no longer under the ownership of the New Zealand government as of Jan. 30, NBC News reported.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 1 Feb. 2025
The Axial Seamount is a massive undersea volcano that reaches more than 3,600 feet above the seabed, 300 miles offshore.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025
At nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, the Mauna Kea volcano is the tallest peak in Hawaii.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for volcano
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volcano
Noun
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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
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In December 1990, officials in the federal agency tasked with regulating offshore oil and gas drilling received a memo with a dire warning: America faced a ticking time bomb of environmental liability from unplugged oil and gas wells, wrote the agency’s chief of staff.—
Mark Olalde,
ProPublica,
30 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Things may have been all fun and games (literally) for a few months, but Yellowjackets' camp is a powder keg of teen hormones, power hunger and religious drama ready to explode.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
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The first-look teaser, unfolding at a gas station, promises a powder keg of tension waiting to explode beneath the serene beauty of village life.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The move comes after Republican officials ramped up efforts to turn the 2021 order into a partisan flash point ahead of the 2024 election.—
Hansi Lo Wang,
NPR,
20 Jan. 2025
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The plight of the Palestinians will serve as a flash point, a symbol of inequities in the prevailing international order and, in the eyes of many across the developing world, the unfinished work of decolonization.—
Matias Spektor,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near volcano
Cite this Entry
“Volcano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volcano. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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