lightning rod

noun

1

: a grounded metallic rod set up on a structure (such as a building) to protect it from lightning

2

: one that serves to divert attack from another

3

: one that is a frequent target of criticism or focus of controversy

she has become a convenient lightning rod for voters' discontent with law-and-order issues

—Aric Press et al.

Examples of lightning rod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While all aviation accounts for just two percent of global carbon emissions, and private jets comprise only two percent of that, business aviation remains a lightning rod for anti-wealth campaigners who position private flyers as mass polluters. —Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025

Bodies of all kinds sought access to, and challenged each other’s claims to, American citizenship—and hair became a lightning rod for all of it. —Literary Hub, 9 June 2025

The issues of trans girls and women competing in female sports has become a lightning rod issue in the United States in recent years. —Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 7 June 2025

The couple has been a lightning rod of controversy in recent weeks after an interview on CBS Sunday Morning that saw Hudson forbid Belichick from answering a question about how the couple met. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lightning rod

• amphipod
• arthropod
• copepod
• decapod
• endopod
• escalade
• esplanade
• exopod
• gastropod
• goldenrod
• isopod
• overawed

Kids Definition

lightning rod

noun

: a metal rod set up on a building or a ship and connected with the earth or water below to decrease the chances of damage from lightning