lightning rod

noun

Definition of lightning rodnext
as in sitting duck

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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 lightning rod Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour, in the span of less than two weeks, became an unexpected lightning rod for controversy and conversation about artist activism amid Israel’s deadly war in Gaza. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, has become a lightning rod in Congress among Republicans in her first term. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026 The cybersecurity threats that AI poses have become a political lightning rod ahead of the midterm elections, as lawmakers face more pressure about regulating the technology and public angst around AI's data center buildout grows. — Cj Haddad, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026 The objection reflects how radically the perception of Khrzhanovsky’s Dau experiment has shifted over the course of two decades — from transcendent art project to exploitative scandal to, now, geopolitical lightning rod. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lightning rod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightning rod
  1. sitting duck
  2. whipping boy
  3. target
  4. victim
  5. butt
  6. prey
Noun
  • Only the ridiculous American League could turn Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow from a sitting duck into a potential candidate for Executive of the Year in less than a week.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • In Ukraine, tanks—the backbone of 20th-century armies—have become sitting ducks for drones.
    — Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
Definition of sitting duck
Noun
  • Apparently, this happens all the time because Daisy is Martha’s makeup artist as well as traveling companion, sounding board, and whipping boy.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The former Maple Leaf was a whipping boy in Toronto whenever the Leafs couldn't get past the second round of the playoffs, but his first postseason in Vegas has been downright magical.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
Definition of whipping boy
Noun
  • Depending on the system and target, the heat can damage sensors, electronics, structural components or other critical parts.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Western military officers have said key military installations in Kaliningrad would be a likely first target should Russia ever launch an attack on any NATO ally.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of target
Noun
  • The victim reported that four teenagers stole their necklace and fled the scene, according to police.
    — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The drama turns on a young woman, victim of spike drinking at a lavish New Year’s Eve party in a remote manor.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • Don't get too friendly, though–some of the more naughty giraffes like to give the occasional head butt.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Most universities will keep chasing the quick fixes in hiring and firing that Colorado coach Deion Sanders likened to Brazilian butt lifts.
    — Chris Park, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of butt
Noun
  • Chances of encountering a shark in Southern California are higher in October, when warmer coastal waters attract both prey and juvenile sharks.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • To give the episodes shape, each is broken up into several mini-narratives, such as a mother cheetah learning to adapt her hunting style to mountainous rocky terrain in order to catch prey for her hungry cubs.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of prey

Browse Nearby Words

lightning
lightning rod
lightning rods
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Cite this Entry

“Lightning rod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightning%20rod. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lightning rod

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning rod

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