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Recent Examples of third rail
Changes to Medicaid have proven contentious, and Medicare is often considered a political third rail.
—
Joseph Choi, The Hill, 5 June 2025
Centering African-American stories and characters, DuVernay’s films frequently come into contact with the third rails of American history, such as incarceration, segregation and slavery.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025
Social Security is the third rail of American politics
Social Security advocates say Trump and Musk, the tech billionaire, are learning a lesson absorbed by many politicians and policy wonks before them.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
But that doesn’t make the subject any less the third rail for nearly everybody in the SNL orbit.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for third rail
Joseph Choi, The Hill, 5 June 2025
Centering African-American stories and characters, DuVernay’s films frequently come into contact with the third rails of American history, such as incarceration, segregation and slavery.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025
Social Security is the third rail of American politics
Social Security advocates say Trump and Musk, the tech billionaire, are learning a lesson absorbed by many politicians and policy wonks before them.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
But that doesn’t make the subject any less the third rail for nearly everybody in the SNL orbit.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for third rail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for third rail
Noun
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That has become a hot button issue, with both the left and the right side of the political aisle accusing the chatbot of bias.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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But aid to Ukraine has become a hot button in Washington, splitting lawmakers, some from the same party.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But state officials knew those ARPA dollars would be exhausted by 2026 and that using them to cover recurring expenses was a ticking fiscal time bomb, a huge hole that eventually would have to be filled some other way.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
2 Aug. 2025
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Both technologies promised transformative value but became liability time bombs when deployed without guardrails.—
Jacques Nack,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Noun
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The official synopsis for Eddington, as per A24, reads: In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
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How could a powder keg, years in the making, hide in plain sight?—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
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And there are many potential flash points in Asia, including in the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea.—
Yuen Foong Khong,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
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These minerals, key to electronic components and batteries, have become a new flash point in trade relations.—
Brit Morse,
Fortune,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/third%20rail. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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