Advertisement
Advertisement
time bomb
noun
- a bomb constructed so as to explode at a certain time.
- a situation, condition, etc., resembling such a bomb in having disastrous consequences in the future.
time bomb
noun
- a bomb containing a timing mechanism that determines the time at which it will detonate
- a situation which, if allowed to continue, will develop into a serious problem
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of time bomb1
Discover More
Idioms and Phrases
A situation that threatens to have disastrous consequences at some future time, as in That departmental dispute is a time bomb just waiting to go off . This term alludes to an explosive device that is set to go off at a specific time. [First half of 1900s]Discover More
Example Sentences
So that was just a ticking time bomb until the Germans had to do something.
A case could be made that Bynes was, in effect, a ticking time bomb.
But in the background, a separate time-bomb is ticking for Israel.
“This is a time bomb which preoccupies us most,” he told a panel at Davos.
Some officials in China do recognize that Tibet is a time bomb waiting to explode.
"According to the time-bomb down below," repeated Mr. Conne, still sociably but with a keen, searching look.
It would be just like you to have set a time bomb somewhere in this submarine to blow her up after you were all safely out of her.
Despite his liking for Prochaska, Crag couldn't forget that he had failed to find the time bomb in a panel he had twice searched.
Look at them now—the missile attack on the Aztec, the time bomb plant, the way they operate their networks right in our midst.
Privately, he had decided that no man would be left alone until the mystery of the time bomb was cleared up.
Advertisement
Discover More
Related Words
Word of the Day
[tawr-choo-uhs ]
Meaning and examplesStart each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!
By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse