third rail
noun
1
: a metal rail through which electric current is led to the motors of an electric vehicle (such as a subway car)
2
: a controversial issue usually avoided by politicians
Examples of third rail in a Sentence
Social Security is the third rail of American politics.
Recent Examples on the Web
The new plant, Siemens's third rail production facility in the U.S., comes as the Biden Administration continues its push to get high-speed trains up and running in one of the few advanced nations that doesn’t have them.
—
Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
The remark caused many Republicans to panic, who have treated Harris’s race as a political third rail.
Republicans immediately started hitting the panic button, with some down-ballot candidates taking Trump’s statements on more directly than others.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Aug. 2024
But gambling had been the third rail of baseball ever since the Chicago White Sox took money to intentionally lose the World Series in 1919.
—Lee Cowan, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2014
The treatment of conscripts has been a political third rail in the past for Russia.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for third rail 
Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
The remark caused many Republicans to panic, who have treated Harris’s race as a political third rail.
Republicans immediately started hitting the panic button, with some down-ballot candidates taking Trump’s statements on more directly than others.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Aug. 2024
But gambling had been the third rail of baseball ever since the Chicago White Sox took money to intentionally lose the World Series in 1919.
—Lee Cowan, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2014
The treatment of conscripts has been a political third rail in the past for Russia.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for third rail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'third rail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/third%20rail. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
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