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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 McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, has become a lightning rod in Congress among Republicans in her first term. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026 The cybersecurity threats that AI poses have become a political lightning rod ahead of the midterm elections, as lawmakers face more pressure about regulating the technology and public angst around AI's data center buildout grows. — Cj Haddad, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026 The objection reflects how radically the perception of Khrzhanovsky’s Dau experiment has shifted over the course of two decades — from transcendent art project to exploitative scandal to, now, geopolitical lightning rod. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 In recent weeks, ongoing debate regarding the eligibility of transgender players in the WNBA has made the league a lightning rod for controversy, at times overshadowing the elite basketball being played during the 2026 season. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 4 Sep. 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 investment bank upgraded CoreWeave to overweight from neutral on Thursday, and raised its 12-month price target by 4%, to $125 from $120.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Tucker Kraft has been a nice security blanket for the Packers, catching five of nine targets for 80 yards.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of target
Noun
  • The studies with these conclusions have not held up over time and may be victims of publication bias.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Ventura was not truly a victim and deserved to face consequences alongside Combs.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • On the living-room table was a giant bowl filled with cigarette butts, which Beck said was for an art project.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • One shows Jolly winking at you over the shoulder with its butt teasingly pointed in the viewer’s direction, apparently in an attempt to promote Muse integration into the cloud system Box.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of butt
Noun
  • Threats facing the species include habitat loss, declining prey populations and human-wildlife conflict.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Over Labor Day weekend, Springfield Public Schools, a district in western Massachusetts that serves twenty-three thousand students across some sixty schools, fell prey to a cyberattack that shuttered classes for four days.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 17 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 29 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lightning rod

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning rod

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