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

But for some reason, the WNBA has decided to stick a lightning rod in the national anthem, too. — Patricia Babcock McGraw Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

The Texas Railroad Commission — which oversees the state’s oil and gas industry, not railroads — has become a political lightning rod after former Tarrant County GOP chair Bo French won the Republican nomination for the seat. — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2026

The story of the affluent, white nurse who killed her three young children has become a lightning rod of sorts for discussions about postpartum mental health and about how filicidal mothers are treated by the judicial system. — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026

Antetokounmpo wasted no time in starting to rave about the Heat culture, a phrase that has become a lightning rod for criticism from talking heads around the NBA — especially after the franchise slapped the word across shirts and jerseys. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

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
• ostracod

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