lightning rod
noun
1
: a grounded metallic rod set up on a structure (such as a building) to protect it from lightning
2
: one that serves to divert attack from another
3
: one that is a frequent target of criticism or focus of controversy
she has become a convenient lightning rod for voters' discontent with law-and-order issues—
Aric Press et al.
Aric Press et al.Examples of lightning rod in a Sentence
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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
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
See All Example Sentences for lightning rod
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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
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
See All Example Sentences for lightning rod
Cite this Entry
“Lightning rod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lightning%20rod. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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