as in alcohol
illegally produced liquor
college students secretly mixing up a batch of white lightning in the school lab
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Recent Examples of white lightning
First, the white lightning… Bill Whitaker: Wow, that gives a punch.
—
Bill Whitaker, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Don’t let the green mist tinged with white lightning and rotating cosmic orifices fool you, however: Ingesting psychedelic drugs is not recommended before watching this film.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
Above the patch is another white lightning bolt.
—Omari Sankofa Ii, Detroit Free Press, 1 Nov. 2021
One, the stereotype is as dated as Moon Pies and white lightning.
—Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 11 June 2020
Bill Whitaker, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Don’t let the green mist tinged with white lightning and rotating cosmic orifices fool you, however: Ingesting psychedelic drugs is not recommended before watching this film.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
Above the patch is another white lightning bolt.
—Omari Sankofa Ii, Detroit Free Press, 1 Nov. 2021
One, the stereotype is as dated as Moon Pies and white lightning.
—Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 11 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for white lightning
Noun
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The operator of the e-scooter was arrested on suspicion of operating a bicycle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and DUI causing bodily injury, after officers conducted several field sobriety tests, police said.—
Jose Fabian,
CBS News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Astronomers studying the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS have discovered the comet is unusually rich in alcohol — a chemical clue that could reveal how planets and icy bodies form around other stars.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Cate Blanchett, ‘Blue Jasmine’ (2014) Blanchett delivers an enjoyably tragicomic turn in Woody Allen's dramedy as a booze-swilling, Xanax-popping hot mess.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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The Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and Boston Licensing Board have also committed to working with Boston Police, bars and package stores to prevent underage booze sales this weekend, the letter states.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The piece wouldn't be officially released online for some time, but a stray audience member or two recorded a bootleg of the screen inside the theater and posted it to social media.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Mar. 2026
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Luhrmann spent two years hunting the audio tapes — even buying bootleg recordings — and syncing them with the film footage.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“White lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20lightning. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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