as in sitting duck
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Recent Examples of lightning rod
At the heart of it all, standing like a lightning rod between legacy and future-forward energy, was artist and 10-time Grammy nominee, Janelle Monáe.
—
Isaiah Mikhail, Essence, 13 May 2025
The case has become an unlikely political lightning rod as Democrats seize on Abrego Garcia’s Kafkaesque situation as a cruel consequence of Trump’s mass deportations and disregard for the courts.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2025
The question now, perhaps, isn’t whether Psaki or anyone else is the next Maddow, but whether the 9 P.M. Eastern hour on MSNBC still matters at all, as either a source of news or a lightning rod for liberal energy.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 9 May 2025
Despite the opposition, Lawler has vowed to hold live town halls in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, rejecting the advice of GOP leadership to skip the public meetings that have been lightning rods for raucous criticism of Trump’s controversial agenda.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lightning rod
Isaiah Mikhail, Essence, 13 May 2025
The case has become an unlikely political lightning rod as Democrats seize on Abrego Garcia’s Kafkaesque situation as a cruel consequence of Trump’s mass deportations and disregard for the courts.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2025
The question now, perhaps, isn’t whether Psaki or anyone else is the next Maddow, but whether the 9 P.M. Eastern hour on MSNBC still matters at all, as either a source of news or a lightning rod for liberal energy.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 9 May 2025
Despite the opposition, Lawler has vowed to hold live town halls in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, rejecting the advice of GOP leadership to skip the public meetings that have been lightning rods for raucous criticism of Trump’s controversial agenda.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lightning rod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightning rod
Noun
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Once the safety car ended, Verstappen was essentially a sitting duck, immediately losing the rear of the RB-21 and just managing to keep it on the track.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
-
As stars sit around, waiting for a random ring that will change their life, often surrounded by TV cameras ready to broadcast the moment to the world, they’re reduced to sitting ducks.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Once more, Turkey seems to have become a whipping boy for all manner of interests, some of which have little to do with the realities of Turkey itself.—
Hugh Pope,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Oct. 2010
-
The Republicans and their puppet master, Donald Trump, are ginning up the machine against immigration and making Mayorkas their whipping boy for chaos at the border.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2024
Noun
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To that end, Russian attacks on such targets have been especially intense in the late fall and winter, as the cold weather sets in.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
The successful event exceeded its ticketing and hospitality revenue target by $397 million and brought in a roughly $30-million surplus.—
Thuc Nhi Nguyen,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Jones added what doesn't make sense in all this is Gov. Gavin Newsom's Democratic Party continues to push to protect perpetrators instead of victims and using the Menendez brothers' case to get their bill across the finish line.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2025
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These tactics are designed to lead the victim straight onto a negotiation footing where the attacker has the upper hand.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Four provost marshals barged into the judge’s courtroom and bloodily bludgeoned him with the butt of a pistol in front of his jury and civilian spectators.—
Paul Callahan,
Baltimore Sun,
29 May 2025
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Alejandro Gutierrez, one of the founders of ETH Dublin, was the butt of several jokes for also participating in the Solana ecosystem.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
In late 2019, a telemarketing company in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area fell prey to a crippling ransomware attack.—
Harry Kazakian,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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The results also indicate that megalodon populations living in different habitats had slightly contrasting diets, potentially because of differing prey availability.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lightning rod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightning%20rod. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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