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 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 More might be coming, but the Royals reassigned hitting coach Alec Zumwalt, who had become a lightning rod for fan discontent. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 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
  • More than half of the DOGE firing targets were Black, the Post found, while nearly one-third were white, 13% were Asian, and 8% were Hispanic.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Its target lay thousands of miles away in northwestern Russia.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of target
Noun
  • The attack shocked the nation, and Jordan declared three days of mourning for the victims.
    — Omar Akour, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • On Sunday, Jordan’s Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah attended a funeral held for the victims while Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited the injured in the hospital earlier.
    — Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • The committee heard substantial evidence that construction workers had smoked on site, and several cigarette butts and some partially burned materials, such as cardboard boxes, were found on the flat roof.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Just ask this unfortunate Alaskan bear recently spotted with several multi-foot long tapeworms hanging out of its butt.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of butt
Noun
  • In Alaska, salmon are one of the main prey sources for belugas—and the fish need cold water to develop their eggs, keep their metabolism stable and prevent energy depletion during long migratory journeys.
    — Ryan Green, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2026
  • But even the slower, more deliberate decision-making can fall prey to any number of cognitive biases.
    — Shayla Love, Vox, 25 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 3 Nov. 2026.

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