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
-
In April, Officer Stephen Brown was charged with a DWI and is accused of driving while more than double the legal alcohol limit in York County.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Sep. 2025
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Nor was the jury sufficiently moved by accounts of his birth mother’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy, his small brain or other factors.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The question, delivered via pay phone, is an old security prompt, and Bob, with a memory fried by pot and booze, cannot remember the answer.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
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During Prohibition, waiters famously slipped sips of bootleg booze to patrons from flasks tucked inside their apron pockets.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York has launched a new campaign focused on fake fashion and the use of slavery in the bootleg fashion industry.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The Pats doubled their rates of under-center snaps and pre-snap motion in Miami, while emphasizing bootleg play-action passes that set up Drake Maye’s first touchdown pass.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“White lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20lightning. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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