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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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The looming outfield production is still a hot button topic.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
7 Feb. 2026
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While LaFleur’s future is undoubtedly question No. 1 in Green Bay, the quality of his staff could quickly become a hot button topic, as well.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
15 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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The incident became a flash point in ongoing debates over whether immigration officials had gone too far in detaining a young boy.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
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Minneapolis has become a flash point for clashes between federal immigration enforcement agents and agitators, particularly after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/third%20rail. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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