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Recent Examples of third rail
Moving through the pandemic, higher ed touched the third rail (online teaching and learning) and surprisingly came away uninjured.
—
David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The Hyundai was lodged in the westbound trackway, and there was visible damage to the track and the electric third rail.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Three, the third rail of immigration keeps closing in.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
As reflected in tonight’s results, Israel is no longer the third rail in American politics—at least in the New York City area.
—Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for third rail
David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The Hyundai was lodged in the westbound trackway, and there was visible damage to the track and the electric third rail.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Three, the third rail of immigration keeps closing in.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
As reflected in tonight’s results, Israel is no longer the third rail in American politics—at least in the New York City area.
—Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for third rail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for third rail
Noun
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Natural gas bans have become a political hot button in California, with cities such as Berkeley moving to phase out the fossil fuel in favor of electrification.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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The use of generative AI has been a hot button issue in art and entertainment, and game development has been no exception.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Furthermore, the failure to understand how dark-side behaviors undermine psychological safety and collective judgment in day-to-day decision-making contributes to the ticking time bomb problem noted earlier.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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And as the population continues to age, hundreds of millions could soon be leaving the workforce — a demographic crisis and ticking time bomb in one.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Nellie keeping things bottled up was a powder keg waiting to blow.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
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This week’s incident was the spark many feared amid a growing powder keg of heightened activity by immigration authorities in Minneapolis and nationwide.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But, of course, schools were a frequent flash point during Emanuel’s mayoral tenure.—
Daniel C. Vock,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
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Taxes can often represent a flash point between a government and its people.—
Kent Jones,
The Conversation,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/third%20rail. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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