as in sitting duck
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Recent Examples of lightning rod
But Ono quickly became a political lightning rod.
—
Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Without Levy there to run the club and act as the lightning rod for criticism, more questions have been asked of the Lewis family regarding their long-term plans.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The nation's limited stockpiles of expensive weapon systems, including advanced missile interceptors, have become a lightning rod during the Iran war.
—CBS News, 14 May 2026
The project, now nearly three years into development, has become a lightning rod for the Charlotte region’s debate over technology growth, economic incentives and environmental sustainability.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lightning rod
Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Without Levy there to run the club and act as the lightning rod for criticism, more questions have been asked of the Lewis family regarding their long-term plans.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The nation's limited stockpiles of expensive weapon systems, including advanced missile interceptors, have become a lightning rod during the Iran war.
—CBS News, 14 May 2026
The project, now nearly three years into development, has become a lightning rod for the Charlotte region’s debate over technology growth, economic incentives and environmental sustainability.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lightning rod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightning rod
Noun
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Everyone else would be a sitting duck, or at the very least extremely annoyed.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
As labor complications ensue, a blizzard rages outside trapping the family in their home – sitting ducks for whatever sinister presence might be in there with them.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
-
There will always be whipping boys at the World Cup, a team who arrive underprepared or in chaos of some description.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
McBride finished the regular season on a heater in the form of an 18-271-0 line on 29 targets over the last three games.—
Juan Carlos Blanco,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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Ukrainian drones now pummel industrial targets across Russia nightly, shutting down oil refineries, snarling logistics, and forcing airports to close for days at a time.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Noun
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Newsom’s office said Thursday that the state is providing assistance to victims, family members and witnesses of the mosque shooting.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
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The bodies of two people were found earlier this week, before crews recovered the remains of another six victims on Thursday, May 28, Longview fire chief Brad Hannig said in a press conference later that day.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Noun
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But one of the best back stoppers of the last decade is not immune from being the butt of a joke, and the Lightning decided to have some fun while giving Vasilevskiy his second career Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best goaltender.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
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So who better to analyze the technique of these two spectacular over-the-fence head butts than Huson, right?—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Noun
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Finally, in the Oaxacan field test, the team showed that predatory wasps use the airborne distress signals to find their prey, but the relative importance of direct leaf defenses versus this indirect wasp recruitment isn’t clear.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
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Gay men were portrayed as both predators and prey, feeding into dangerous stereotypes at a time when the community was fighting for survival.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lightning rod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightning%20rod. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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