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 The mogul has only become a greater cultural lightning rod since then with a relentless series of social media trolls and the platforming of numerous conspiracy theories. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026 The company and its surveillance devices have become a lightning rod for anxieties around surveillance in the US, embodying concerns about privacy, tech industry oversight, and police abuse of power all in one public gadget. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026 One of Giannoulias’ top donors, asset manager and close Emanuel ally Michael Sacks, has become a lightning rod for Johnson and his left-leaning allies. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026 Ironically, the ETFs, introduced in late May to broaden investment opportunities for retail traders and stem outflows into similar products abroad, have become a lightning rod for criticism and blamed for amplifying volatility. — Youkyung Lee, Fortune, 2 Aug. 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
  • 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
  • The middle class or big corporations don’t want to become the mayor’s whipping boy.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026
Definition of whipping boy
Noun
  • Ukraine has developed an arsenal of long-range drones and its own cruise missiles which are being used against a widening array of targets inside Russia.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Upon being notified of a Ukrainian vehicle, the operator can verify the target and determine the best way to engage it, including by calling for artillery fire or directing a strike drone against the vehicle.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of target
Noun
  • During the investigation, police were alerted to two shooting victims who had walked into area hospitals, including Chance.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Mines Minister Rufin Benam Beltoungou expressed condolences to victims’ families and warned miners about the dangers of unsafe mining practices, according to a statement posted by the ministry.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • Who survives Over 50 years ago, Charlie Munger convinced his best friend, Warren Buffett, to ditch the proverbial cheap cigar butts for buying durable, high-quality businesses, centered around their economic moat.
    — Sanjot Malhi, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The Pomeranian munchkins in Munchkinland skitter around, sniffing wagging butts.
    — Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of butt
Noun
  • This is because there is a tendency for some people to fall prey to cognitive offloading, in which humans lean heavily on AI to do their critical thinking.
    — Cheryl Johnson, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Women and feminized men, in Finckenstein’s telling, were the natural prey and proof of Ebel’s corruption.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 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 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lightning rod

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning rod

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