a bomb that has a detonating mechanism that can be set to go off at a particular time
a problematic situation that will eventually become dangerous if not addressed; "India is a demographic time bomb"; "the refugee camp is a ticking bomb waiting to go off"
the process of ionizing; the formation of ions by separating atoms or molecules or radicals or by adding or subtracting electrons from atoms by strong electric fields in a gas
the condition of being dissociated into ions (as by heat or radiation or chemical reaction or electrical discharge); "the ionization of a gas"