How to Use lightning rod in a Sentence

lightning rod

noun
Definition of lightning rodnext
Synonyms for lightning rodnext
  • There were many reasons the proposal became a lightning rod.
    — Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2021
  • Barry can't stop 'Armageddon' without his rock and lightning rod, Iris.
    — Chancellor Agard, EW.com, 16 Nov. 2021
  • Among the group of oil producers, Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, serves as a lightning rod.
    — Tilak Doshi, Forbes, 11 Nov. 2021
  • As many in Britain have suffered greatly through the pandemic, government parties have become a lightning rod for outrage.
    — Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2022
  • But Govan’s new museum building has also been a lightning rod for controversy.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2024
  • Once obscure, Epik -- a domain-name registrar and web hosting company -- has transformed itself into a culture-war lightning rod.
    — Rob Kuznia, CNN, 9 Dec. 2021
  • Miller’s situation with the Rams, while still high profile and perhaps more impactful, takes a backseat to Beckham, a lightning rod of interest.
    — Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
  • That, combined with a struggling economy, has turned Syrians into a political lightning rod in Turkey.
    — Scott McLean, CNN, 1 July 2024
  • Petty disputes also got in the way of the lightning rod.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 1 Apr. 2023
  • The laser beam passes near the lightning rod on the Säntis Tower.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2023
  • The death last month has been a lightning rod on issues of mental health, crime and race.
    — Doha Madani, NBC News, 15 June 2023
  • The lighthouse has a lightning rod and was undamaged by the strike.
    — Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 3 Aug. 2023
  • All the ups and downs set the stage for Harrison, who has been a lightning rod all season.
    — oregonlive, 9 Oct. 2022
  • But the court didn’t rule on the merits of the case, meaning the lightning rod issue is not settled for good.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 13 June 2024
  • But can a $2 million laser compete with a dirt-cheap lightning rod?
    — Byadrian Cho, science.org, 16 Jan. 2023
  • Like a giant lightning rod, the tower gets hit with lightning more than 100 times a year.
    — Byadrian Cho, science.org, 16 Jan. 2023
  • Youssef’s words struck a chord, as the Israel-Hamas War is a lightning rod in Hollywood.
    — Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024
  • Part of the interest in this work is the tension between those shingles and the amber-glass orb on the lightning rod.
    — Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022
  • The movie had been in theaters for all of 24 hours — plenty of time to become a cultural lightning rod.
    — Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2023
  • Phillips has been a lightning rod for frustrated Bears fans.
    — Andrew Seligman, ajc, 2 Sep. 2022
  • The tax provisions of the new law have been a lightning rod for conservatives.
    — Jacob Bogage, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Feb. 2023
  • The Tower of the Americas pierces the San Antonio sky like a lightning rod.
    — Timothy Fanning, San Antonio Express-News, 29 Dec. 2022
  • There are standards that have to be followed by those installing lightning rods.
    — Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2023
  • Gilbert’s latest book comes as books have become a political lightning rod in the U.S. and around the world.
    — Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 June 2023
  • The seven-time All-Star point guard has become a lightning rod of sorts for his decision not to get the vaccine.
    — Tom Withers, ajc, 18 Jan. 2022
  • Either way, Pink Tape will stand as a statement: a lightning rod, a litmus test, a turning point, maybe even a troll.
    — Clayton Purdom, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2023
  • The argument reflects the complexities of this moment in time where the N-word is a lightning rod.
    — Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2022
  • Jordan Poole remains a lightning rod when things go amiss for the Golden State Warriors.
    — Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 May 2023
  • As for what made Nickelback such a lightning rod for people’s ire?
    — Spin Contributor, SPIN, 19 Mar. 2024
  • There’s no word on whether fantasy lightning rod Tommy Pham approves, but Voit’s sense of humor made the trip to a new club.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lightning rod.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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