definitions

lightning rod

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lightning rod ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a rodlike conductor installed to divert lightning away from a structure by providing a direct path to the ground.
a person or thing that attracts and absorbs powerful and especially negative or hostile feelings, opinions, etc., thereby diverting such feelings from other targets: The unpopular supervisor served as a lightning rod for the criticism that should have been aimed at management.

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RELATED WORDS

ground

Nearby words

lightning arrester, lightning bug, lightning chess, lightning conductor, lightning never strikes twice in the same place, lightning rod, lightning stroke, lightplane, lightproof, lights, lights out

Origin of lightning rod

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lightning rod

Science definitions for lightning rod

lightning rod

A grounded metal rod placed high on a structure to conduct electrical current from a lightning strike directly to the ground, preventing the currents from injuring people or animals or from damaging objects. Lightning rods usually have a sharp, pointed tip, since electric lines of force are more highly concentrated around pointed objects, in this case increasing the attractiveness of the rod compared with other nearby objects. See also Saint Elmo's fire.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.