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Recent Examples of third rail
Someone needs to touch the third rail.
—
Dp Opinion,
Denver Post,
23 Mar. 2026
Dog Day Afternoon is the third rail of male love and loneliness—a primal scream from the sweltering streets of a stone broke New York City.
—
Jenny Lumet,
Vanity Fair,
10 Feb. 2026
The dog was discovered on the tracks next to the third rail and was pronounced dead at the scene, NYPD told the outlets.
—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
Disregarding the out-of-joint 2021 Finals, which were bumped up to July by the pandemic, Saturday has been a third rail for the NBA for the better part of the last 45 years.
—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for third rail
Dp Opinion,
Denver Post,
23 Mar. 2026
Dog Day Afternoon is the third rail of male love and loneliness—a primal scream from the sweltering streets of a stone broke New York City.
—
Jenny Lumet,
Vanity Fair,
10 Feb. 2026
The dog was discovered on the tracks next to the third rail and was pronounced dead at the scene, NYPD told the outlets.
—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
Disregarding the out-of-joint 2021 Finals, which were bumped up to July by the pandemic, Saturday has been a third rail for the NBA for the better part of the last 45 years.
—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for third rail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for third rail
Noun
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But, more recently, he's stepped into the political ring, sharing his takes on hot button issues and even teasing the possibility of a presidential run.
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In Florida, the construction of data centers has become a hot button issue, with state lawmakers passing a bill adding guardrails intended to protect residents from increases to their electric bills and risks to water supply.
Noun
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The sobering Social Security and Medicare reports clearly show that a fiscal time bomb is ticking.
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That is a real fiscal time bomb that could set off generational warfare in Washington.
Noun
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However, internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.
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The scene isn’t just a powder keg of tension that leads to frenzied bedlam; its cynical depiction of human self-preservation is far more terrifying than any horror movie monster.
Noun
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Shakespeare’s haughty Roman war hero, revered on the battlefield yet reviled by hungry plebeians, becomes the flash point in a young democracy tearing itself apart over power and sacrifice.
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The protests became a flash point, sparking similar incidents in several other cities in Tennessee and at least one in Florida.
Cite this Entry
“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/third%20rail. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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