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 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 Max Clark is a topic unto himself, a lightning rod with a big personality, can’t-miss tattoos, magenta gear and glimmering chains that have become synonymous with his persona. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has been a lightning rod for controversy ever since the first casting and design reveals, igniting afresh with each new trailer. — ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026 Data centers have become a political lightning rod in North Texas, with both cities and county officials scrambling to enact regulations alongside a slew of land purchases, proposals from developers and immense pressure from residents. — Mary Ella Hastings july 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 July 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
  • The Ukrainian government has said the facilities are legitimate military targets because the company supplies Russia’s frontline troops.
    — Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Its website stated that weapons must have a target cost of less than $250,000 apiece at scale.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of target
Noun
  • And the Santa Ana winds are blowing in September 1981, mentioned in a news report before an announcement of the latest Trawler victim in the season premiere.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The police investigation was launched following complaints from relatives of the victims of the Gwangju crackdown, which official records say left about 200 people dead.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • Azucena Gonzalez handed the 12-year-old a belt and ordered him to strike his cousin in the butt.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The rapper previously opened up about having her butt injections dissolved earlier this year.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026
Definition of butt
Noun
  • New large-scale research shows that the presence of mountain lions, also known as pumas or cougars, can drastically decrease the number of potentially deadly collisions between deer and vehicles by changing the behavior of their prey.
    — Gennaro Tomma, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026
  • When an insect hits the web, vibrations from the force travel along the threads and help the spider locate the prey.
    — Aliasger K. Salem, The Conversation, 4 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 10 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lightning rod

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning rod

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