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 Many Americans are looking past the benefits of AI data centers, which have become a lightning rod for AI skepticism, and are instead demanding regulatory restrictions. — Ray Lewis, Baltimore Sun, 1 Sep. 2026 And Zimmerman’s trial became a lightning rod for race relations across America. — Ryan Young, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 Burch, who wasn't known for being particularly close with her neighbors before, emerged as vocal leader—and a lightning rod for deal proponents. — Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026 Approval of the treatment would also be a boon for Moderna’s mRNA platform, which has become a political lightning rod. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 19 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
  • 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
  • The technique uses reflected light from a laser popped at a target to see the molecular structure of a mineral, which in turn reveals the mineral's composition.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The system directs concentrated energy at a vulnerable part of an incoming object until the target is disabled or destroyed.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of target
Noun
  • The brothers previously faced rape and human trafficking charges in Britain in connection to three alleged victims, CPS said.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The special, produced in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, will honor the victims killed, and commemorate the resilience of the survivors, families, first responders, and communities whose lives were forever altered by the attacks.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • Without any comparable examples, the thick squid butt remained in storage for nearly three decades.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Docherty invites Jacob to clock him with the butt of his service revolver to help sell Docherty’s lie that Jacob overpowered him and escaped.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of butt
Noun
  • As its common name suggests, the giant huntsman spider actively hunts its prey, and its diet includes insects as well as small rodents and reptiles.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Rattlesnakes fill an important niche in the area’s ecosystem by targeting prey that other predators cannot access.
    — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 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 12 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lightning rod

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning rod

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