lightning rod

noun

Definition of lightning rodnext
as in sitting duck

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lightning rod 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 Sacks, who served as an adviser to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, has become a lightning rod for criticism from the progressive Chicago Teachers Union and its allies, who have decried the influence of the ultrawealthy in the race. — Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 The series, a critical darling and cultural lightning rod, will return for five episodes. — Ethan Beck, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2026 While Skydance may have become the latest lightning rod in an increasingly polarised and under pressure Hollywood, Bird is a pragmatist. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lightning rod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightning rod
  1. sitting duck
  2. whipping boy
  3. target
  4. victim
  5. butt
  6. prey
Noun
  • Only the ridiculous American League could turn Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow from a sitting duck into a potential candidate for Executive of the Year in less than a week.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • In Ukraine, tanks—the backbone of 20th-century armies—have become sitting ducks for drones.
    — Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
Definition of sitting duck
Noun
  • Apparently, this happens all the time because Daisy is Martha’s makeup artist as well as traveling companion, sounding board, and whipping boy.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The former Maple Leaf was a whipping boy in Toronto whenever the Leafs couldn't get past the second round of the playoffs, but his first postseason in Vegas has been downright magical.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
Definition of whipping boy
Noun
  • So, pitchers across MLB will have the unenviable task of planning their offseason buildup without the clarity of an opening-day target.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The secret sauce to Wavves’ strongest material has always been a healthy dose of self-loathing; imagine one of those devilish Calvin-pissing-on-the-ground car decals, with a weary doppelganger as the stream’s target.
    — Larry Fitzmaurice, Pitchfork, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of target
Noun
  • In steady rain and silence, thousands marched in Novi Sad on Sunday in a gesture of respect for the victims.
    — MARKO DROBNJAKOVIC, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • American women, being birthed as special victims with special status, are not.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • Broken bottles, cigarette butts, and waste—plastic and otherwise—came in and out with the tides.
    — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The endless snapshots of parties, wallpaper covered in butts, the many photographs of Kate Moss, videos of fashion shows, enlarged ad campaign stills—very little of it is good.
    — Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of butt
Noun
  • Rattlesnakes are lazy hunters that wait in the shadows for prey to approach.
    — RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2026
  • One reason for the pattern, after all, is that presidents fall prey to hubris following success in their own elections.
    — Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of prey

Browse Nearby Words

lightning
lightning rod
lightning rods
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Cite this Entry

“Lightning rod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightning%20rod. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lightning rod

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning rod

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