as in alcohol
illegally produced liquor
college students secretly mixing up a batch of white lightning in the school lab
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of white lightning
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
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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Sheen, 60, opens up about his misuse of drugs and alcohol which wreaked havoc on his health and career.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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At the bar, Jeremiah is drunk and drowning his pain in alcohol.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To prevent a repeat of Otis’ near-death brush with booze, the distillery has asked the city for a dumpster with a lid.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Some common over-the-counter medications, like Tylenol, pose danger to the liver when combined with booze.—
Jamie Ducharme,
Health,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In the third quarter, Fields pushed through the goal line on a 2-yard run, and sauntered into the end zone untouched on a fourth-and-goal bootleg call in the fourth quarter that worked beautifully.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Now, people who don’t have a technical understanding, there might be bootlegs, but that is scratchy stuff with not very good sound.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“White lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20lightning. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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