third rail

noun

Definition of third railnext
as in hot button

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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 third rail That is part of why K-12 schools have long been treated like a third rail. — Karl Mawhinney, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 EMUs are faster and can often carry more people, but require overhead catenary lines or a third rail, while the battery electric locomotives can be used on non-electrified track by charging their batteries, reducing the infrastructure investment. — State House News Service, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026 That train also hit debris — potentially a loose section of the third rail, sources told The News. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026 The substations’ main function is to convert raw, high-voltage electricity from the electrical grid into lower-voltage power that can be delivered to the third rail. — New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for third rail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for third rail
  1. hot button
  2. time bomb
  3. powder keg
  4. flash point
Noun
  • Genre provides story tension at a time of general market downturn where series, whatever their hot button issues, must never forget to entertain.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The conflict has also become a hot button topic at Venice, with activists calling on the festival to raise the Palestinian flag in recognition of the Palestinian directors in selection.
    — Nada Aboul Kheir, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of hot button
Noun
  • Apple’s Alex Kirschner has also reportedly said that the defect appears on affected units very quickly, so buyers won’t have to wonder if their expensive foldables are ticking time bombs.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026
  • As Hedda Gabler warned, bored women are time bombs whose agitation puts everyone at risk.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of time bomb
Noun
  • The civil unrest is a result of a years-long powder keg waiting to explode.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The proof ignited a powder keg of concern over artificial intelligence companies’ race to disrupt the subject.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of powder keg
Noun
  • Yet another campaign flash point was Police Chief Jim McDonnell, who was appointed by Bass to run the LAPD in 2024.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Her vote for his Supreme Court justices became a major flash point, as did her votes on last year’s GOP tax law and the war in Iran.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of flash point

Browse Nearby Words

thin-skinned
third rail
third rails
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Cite this Entry

“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/third%20rail. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on third rail

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about third rail

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