third rail

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 Avon is rebooting its third rail—expanding into e-commerce, retail, digital and other platforms, to form a new crucial pillar of its global omnichannel strategy. Dean Debiase, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025 The third rail line project was completed on July 15, with the new track able to be used by Union Pacific and Metra trains, a Union Pacific spokesperson told The Beacon-News on Friday. Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025 The Music City Loop won't pose electrical risks like a subway's third rail, the company said. Stuart Dyos, The Tennessean, 12 Aug. 2025 If India makes significant market access concessions to cater to American agricultural interests, Modi’s government will come dangerously close to touching the third rail of Indian politics. Milan Vaishnav, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for third rail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for third rail
Noun
  • Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch's ejection for his role in a postgame brawl during Sunday night's game in Kansas City has become a hot button topic for NFL and Lions fans ever since, with Lions players Alim McNeill and Dan Skipper expressing their anger in recent days.
    MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Freedom of expression and issues of self-censorship were leitmotifs of this year’s Zurich Summit, with execs discussing attacks on cultural pluralism and as well as attitudes to hot button films.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Directed by Moses from a screenplay he co-wrote with Federico Sargentone and Katja Horvat, the film follows protagonist Ham, who wakes up with a time bomb on his chest.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.
    Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In the update, Cumberbatch and Colman play a seemingly perfect husband and wife with the perfect family, but underneath the façade is a powder keg of resentment and fierce competition that eventually blows.
    Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The entire country was a messianic powder keg.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Nonetheless, migration has become a flash point.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Arrests are taking place all over the Chicago area, but some of the biggest flash points have occurred on the South and West Sides, which are home to many of the city’s largest Black and Latino communities.
    Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/third%20rail. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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