1
: the flashing of light produced by a discharge of atmospheric electricity
also
: the discharge itself
2
: a sudden stroke of fortune
candidates … hoping for real lightning to strike—
Time
Time
: having or moving with or as if with the speed and suddenness of lightning
a lightning assault
Synonyms
Examples of lightning in a Sentence
Adjective
thoughts moving at lightning speed
he made a lightning dash for the goal
Recent Examples on the Web
Serenity Gibbons, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Fighting has blazed in Kharkiv since the early days of the full-scale war, and swathes of the northeastern Ukrainian region were captured by Russia in 2022 before a lightning Ukrainian counteroffensive peeled back Moscow's grip on much of the region.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Dallas News, 17 Oct. 2022
As art, the districts are a whimsical collection of fire-breathing dragons, lightning bolts and doodlebugs.
—Dallas News, 3 Jan. 2023
See all Example Sentences for lightning 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Wong goes on to compare corporate culture to capturing lightning in a bottle.
—Serenity Gibbons, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Fighting has blazed in Kharkiv since the early days of the full-scale war, and swathes of the northeastern Ukrainian region were captured by Russia in 2022 before a lightning Ukrainian counteroffensive peeled back Moscow's grip on much of the region.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
The bar also has a basketball court — put in after a tree was struck by lightning and fell over into the parking lot.
—Dallas News, 17 Oct. 2022
As art, the districts are a whimsical collection of fire-breathing dragons, lightning bolts and doodlebugs.
—Dallas News, 3 Jan. 2023
See all Example Sentences for lightning
Dictionary Entries Near lightning
Cite this Entry
“Lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lightning. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lightning
1 of 2 noun
light·ning
ˈlīt-niŋ 
: the flashing of light produced by a discharge of atmospheric electricity from one cloud to another or between a cloud and the earth
also
: the discharge itself
lightning
2 of 2 adjective
: moving or done with or as if with the speed of lightning
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share