1
as in volcano
a potentially explosive place or situation
officials sought to calm the situation, which had grown into a tinderbox
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2
as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
while the country's prime minister was meeting with the U.S. president, a political tinderbox was igniting at home
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Recent Examples of tinderbox
Set in the 39th century on the planet Altair II, an assassination sparks a tinderbox that leads to an epic three-faction war across the planet, as former allies become bitter rivals.
—
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2025
The whole place is a tinderbox.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Unlike natural thinning, large fire-resilient trees are typically high-graded for felling in Jackson, creating tinderboxes of 300 to 500 mostly juvenile trees per acre.
—John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Keeping the lake low has turned 500 acres of lakebed into a tinderbox — dry invasive grasses with moisture content under 5% — directly in the path of Santa Ana winds.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2025
The whole place is a tinderbox.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Unlike natural thinning, large fire-resilient trees are typically high-graded for felling in Jackson, creating tinderboxes of 300 to 500 mostly juvenile trees per acre.
—John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Keeping the lake low has turned 500 acres of lakebed into a tinderbox — dry invasive grasses with moisture content under 5% — directly in the path of Santa Ana winds.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderbox
Noun
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Is this the first study proposing volcanoes affected the AMOC?—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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After checking in, change into your bathing suit and head straight to the main pool which features a swim-up bar that perfectly frames the volcano—nothing will taste as good as that first piña colada after a long travel day.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But the War on Terror persisted and mutated into nightmares in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then Syria, which unleashed that darkness in the form of terrorist states and a refugee crisis that spread anti-Muslim and anti-migrant hatred to Europe, the United States, and beyond.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
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As Hal witnesses crisis and inequality firsthand, the line between observing and acting begins to blur.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This group has been in this situation before.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Chudzinski’s most stressful situation came in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Warriors clinging to a 3-2 lead.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderbox. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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