as in sitting duck
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Recent Examples of lightning rod
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
The nationwide wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests was a political lightning rod, with critics arguing the demonstrations — and their leaders — were disruptive and featured antisemitic rhetoric.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2025
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, passed in 1996 as part of the Telecommunications Act, has become a political lightning rod in recent years.
—Daryl Lim, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025
Since then, the world’s richest person has been a lightning rod for criticism due to his involvement with DOGE.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lightning rod
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025
The nationwide wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests was a political lightning rod, with critics arguing the demonstrations — and their leaders — were disruptive and featured antisemitic rhetoric.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2025
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, passed in 1996 as part of the Telecommunications Act, has become a political lightning rod in recent years.
—Daryl Lim, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025
Since then, the world’s richest person has been a lightning rod for criticism due to his involvement with DOGE.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 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
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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
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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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Tianwen 2 will arrive in orbit around the comet in 2035, then measure the target using its onboard instrument suite (all from afar; Tianwen-2 will not land on or sample 311P/PANSTARRS).—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
29 May 2025
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But from the beginning, Chiuri was the target of critics who skimmed over the political messages of her shows and dismissed her efforts to create wearable wardrobe options for women as bland commercialism.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
29 May 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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The best way to honor the victims of violence is to ensure that hatred does not have the last word.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
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
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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 12 Jun. 2025.
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