FLASHPOINT

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does flashpoint mean? 

• FLASHPOINT (noun)
  The noun FLASHPOINT has 3 senses:

1. point at which something is ready to blow up

2. a place of political unrest and potential violence

3. the lowest temperature at which the vapor of a combustible liquid can be ignited in air

  Familiarity information: FLASHPOINT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLASHPOINT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Point at which something is ready to blow up

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

flash point; flashpoint

Hypernyms ("flashpoint" is a kind of...):

criticality (a critical state; especially the point at which a nuclear reaction is self-sustaining)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A place of political unrest and potential violence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

flashpoint; hot spot; hotspot; trouble spot

Context example:

the United States cannot police all of the world's hot spots

Hypernyms ("flashpoint" is a kind of...):

geographic area; geographic region; geographical area; geographical region (a demarcated area of the Earth)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The lowest temperature at which the vapor of a combustible liquid can be ignited in air

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

flash point; flashpoint

Hypernyms ("flashpoint" is a kind of...):

temperature (the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity))