variants
or volcanos
as in time bombs
a potentially explosive place or situation
after months of tension the roommates' living situation was a volcano
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of volcanoes
How did volcanoes change the AMOC?
—
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
From towering volcanoes to fish-flying markets, the Pacific Northwest packs a remarkable range of experiences into one corner of the country.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Located inside the Big Island of Hawaii's sprawling Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea is among the most active volcanoes on Earth.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Though sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can come from natural sources, such as volcanoes, the majority comes from burning fossil fuels.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
The area also contains over 900 active or dormant volcanoes, which is about two-thirds of the world’s total.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
David and his team set up camp in Rwanda’s Virunga volcanoes, spending time with a family of mountain gorillas.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2026
Voyager 1 swung past Jupiter in March 1979, revealing active volcanoes on the moon Io, which was the first time volcanic activity had been observed anywhere beyond Earth.
—Willem Marx, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026
Instead, Chinese Indonesian studio operators worked with Javanese painters to produce popular backdrops of local Indonesian landscapes—featuring scenery such as palm trees and volcanoes—with modern instruments like radios and motorboats serving as props.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 17 Apr. 2026
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
From towering volcanoes to fish-flying markets, the Pacific Northwest packs a remarkable range of experiences into one corner of the country.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Located inside the Big Island of Hawaii's sprawling Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea is among the most active volcanoes on Earth.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Though sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can come from natural sources, such as volcanoes, the majority comes from burning fossil fuels.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
The area also contains over 900 active or dormant volcanoes, which is about two-thirds of the world’s total.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
David and his team set up camp in Rwanda’s Virunga volcanoes, spending time with a family of mountain gorillas.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2026
Voyager 1 swung past Jupiter in March 1979, revealing active volcanoes on the moon Io, which was the first time volcanic activity had been observed anywhere beyond Earth.
—Willem Marx, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026
Instead, Chinese Indonesian studio operators worked with Javanese painters to produce popular backdrops of local Indonesian landscapes—featuring scenery such as palm trees and volcanoes—with modern instruments like radios and motorboats serving as props.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volcanoes
Noun
-
Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
One of the flash points in women’s college basketball history unfolded during the 2021 NCAA tournament, when all teams were quarantined in the same bubble in San Antonio for all rounds during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But more potential flash points loom.—
JILL LAWLESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Volcanoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volcanoes. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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