1
: the flashing of light produced by a discharge of atmospheric electricity
also
: the discharge itself
2
: a sudden stroke of fortune
candidates … hoping for real lightning to strike—
Time
Time
: having or moving with or as if with the speed and suddenness of lightning
a lightning assault
Synonyms
Examples of lightning in a Sentence
Adjective
thoughts moving at lightning speed
he made a lightning dash for the goal
Recent Examples on the WebBorys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Nov. 2023
Mike Schaller Temple City :: In an effort to catch lightning in a bottle, Steve Ballmer has approved a trade for James Harden that is reminiscent of Arte Moreno’s signing of Albert Pujols.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2023
Historical research shows that low- to moderate-intensity wildfire—sparked by either lightning or Indigenous peoples—occurred at six- to 35-year intervals, greatly reducing fuel loads.
—WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023
After Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt, Percy treks across the U.S. to find the bolt, clear his name and restore order to Olympus.
—Emma Kershaw, Peoplemag, 12 Nov. 2023
The performances draw a global audience and the Santa Fe sky—which flickers between glowing sunsets, a dazzling canopy of stars, and jazzy lightning performances—puts on its own unmatched show night after night.
—Alexandra Malmed, Vogue, 8 Nov. 2023
Piper’s voice struck the hall like a bolt of lightning.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
The doctor told me the uv of the lightning of the stage did it.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Nov. 2023
Outside, a red light flashes in the dark sky, like lightning; it is followed not by rain but by rubble that pounds the roofs of houses around us.
—Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
Dallas News, 17 Oct. 2022
As art, the districts are a whimsical collection of fire-breathing dragons, lightning bolts and doodlebugs.
—Dallas News, 3 Jan. 2023
This approach is still not lightning quick; red kidney beans take longer to get tender than many varieties.
—Joe Yonan, Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2022
Actress Bevin Prince has given an emotional first on-camera interview to Good Morning America about the death of her husband, who was fatally struck by lightning over the summer.
—Brendan Morrow, The Week, 9 Dec. 2022
Civilization goes, the mind goes, and the God of the Upanishads speaks in syllables of thunder, the whole scene strobed by lightning bolts and the shock editing of life flashing before your eyes.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2022
Friend, who was CEO of digital media company Bisnow at the time, was pronounced dead after he was struck by lightning during a family boat outing on Sunday, July 3.
—Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 3 Dec. 2022
Cuba suffered an earlier natural disaster, just weeks before the hurricane, when lightning hit a major oil storage facility in Matanzas, east of Havana, causing a massive blaze that burned for days, contributing to fuel shortages.
—Karen Deyoung, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Oct. 2022
The Cedar Creek Fire about 150 miles south of Portland, Oregon, was started by lightning Aug. 1 and was still burning Saturday.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2022
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Noun
His additional credits include Doug Liman’s action movie Jumper, Billy Ray’s New York Times drama Shattered Glass, his 2001 breakout Life as a House, and Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, among others.
IAG has sent a lightning bolt through the agency landscape since CAA’s acquisition of ICM.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Nov. 2023
Mike Schaller Temple City :: In an effort to catch lightning in a bottle, Steve Ballmer has approved a trade for James Harden that is reminiscent of Arte Moreno’s signing of Albert Pujols.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2023
Historical research shows that low- to moderate-intensity wildfire—sparked by either lightning or Indigenous peoples—occurred at six- to 35-year intervals, greatly reducing fuel loads.
—WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023
After Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt, Percy treks across the U.S. to find the bolt, clear his name and restore order to Olympus.
—Emma Kershaw, Peoplemag, 12 Nov. 2023
The performances draw a global audience and the Santa Fe sky—which flickers between glowing sunsets, a dazzling canopy of stars, and jazzy lightning performances—puts on its own unmatched show night after night.
—Alexandra Malmed, Vogue, 8 Nov. 2023
Piper’s voice struck the hall like a bolt of lightning.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
The doctor told me the uv of the lightning of the stage did it.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Nov. 2023
Outside, a red light flashes in the dark sky, like lightning; it is followed not by rain but by rubble that pounds the roofs of houses around us.
—Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
Verb
The bar also has a basketball court — put in after a tree was struck by lightning and fell over into the parking lot.
—Dallas News, 17 Oct. 2022
As art, the districts are a whimsical collection of fire-breathing dragons, lightning bolts and doodlebugs.
—Dallas News, 3 Jan. 2023
This approach is still not lightning quick; red kidney beans take longer to get tender than many varieties.
—Joe Yonan, Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2022
Actress Bevin Prince has given an emotional first on-camera interview to Good Morning America about the death of her husband, who was fatally struck by lightning over the summer.
—Brendan Morrow, The Week, 9 Dec. 2022
Civilization goes, the mind goes, and the God of the Upanishads speaks in syllables of thunder, the whole scene strobed by lightning bolts and the shock editing of life flashing before your eyes.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2022
Friend, who was CEO of digital media company Bisnow at the time, was pronounced dead after he was struck by lightning during a family boat outing on Sunday, July 3.
—Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 3 Dec. 2022
Cuba suffered an earlier natural disaster, just weeks before the hurricane, when lightning hit a major oil storage facility in Matanzas, east of Havana, causing a massive blaze that burned for days, contributing to fuel shortages.
—Karen Deyoung, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Oct. 2022
The Cedar Creek Fire about 150 miles south of Portland, Oregon, was started by lightning Aug. 1 and was still burning Saturday.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lightning.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun, Adjective, and Verb
Middle English, from gerund of lightenen to lighten
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1576, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1861, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of lightning was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing lightning
Dictionary Entries Near lightning
Cite this Entry
“Lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lightning. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
lightning
1 of 2 noun
light·ning
ˈlīt-niŋ 
: the flashing of light produced by a discharge of atmospheric electricity from one cloud to another or between a cloud and the earth
also
: the discharge itself
lightning
2 of 2 adjective
: moving or done with or as if with the speed of lightning
More from Merriam-Webster on lightning
Nglish: Translation of lightning for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of lightning for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning
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