ribbon lightning

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noun

a repeated lightning discharge in which successive strokes are displaced from each other by wind, resulting in a broadened appearance.

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Origin of ribbon lightning

First recorded in 1885–90

Words nearby ribbon lightning

Ribble, ribbon, ribbon copy, ribbon development, ribbonfish, ribbon lightning, ribbon microphone, ribbon snake, ribbon strip, ribbon window, ribbonwood

How to use ribbon lightning in a sentence

Should lightning strike and Hillary Clinton forgoes a presidential run, Democrats have a nominee in waiting.
Sen. Warren’s Main Street Crusade to Pressure Clinton|Eleanor Clift|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He was one of living symbols of “White Ribbon Revolution” of 2012, always in black, slim, shaved, almost a monk.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At various times, we had spoken about honors--Hitchcock had been awarded the Légion d'Honneur and wore a ribbon in his lapel.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But it was a real gong and it came with a nice ribbon and a letter from the Queen.
I Saw Nuclear Armageddon Sitting on My Desk|Clive Irving|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the WTC ribbon is from the attack on 9/11, which saw Baugh race to the scene after the first plane struck.
The President and the Tow Truck Driver|Michael Daly|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The left heel followed like lightning, and the right paw also slipped, letting the bear again fall heavily on the ice below.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
Spite, however, of punishments and prohibitions the use of tobacco spread with the rapidity of lightning.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Like lightning he turned and seized by the wrist a man who had already opened the bag and laid hold of some of its contents.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
His only worry at the time lay in the dark sky above and the blue-white stabs of lightning that promised an electrical storm.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Another lightning flash blinded the girls and the thunder following fairly deafened them for the moment.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose