Definition

1. Noun:
   • A natural electrical discharge: A sudden, powerful flash of light in the sky caused by electricity moving between clouds or from a cloud to the ground, typically followed by thunder.
   • Something resembling such a flash: Anything that is very fast, bright, or sudden, similar to a flash of lightning.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The storm was intense, with frequent lightning illuminating the entire valley.
  • We saw a brilliant fork of lightning split the dark sky.
  • Her reaction was as quick as lightning. (Used figuratively to describe speed)

Advanced Usage

• "Lightning strike": This phrase can refer literally to the event of lightning hitting an object or person. Figuratively, it often describes a sudden, unexpected event, such as a spontaneous labor strike.

  • The old tree was destroyed by a lightning strike.
  • The union called a lightning strike to protest the new policies.

• "Lightning speed" / "Like lightning" / "As quick as lightning": Idiomatic expressions used to emphasize extreme speed or a very rapid action.

  • The cheetah ran at lightning speed.
  • He moved like lightning to catch the falling glass.

Variants and Related Words

• Lightning bolt (n): A single discharge or flash of lightning, often visualized as a jagged line.

  • A lightning bolt struck the tower.

• Lightning rod (n): A metal rod mounted on a structure to divert lightning safely to the ground. Figuratively, a person who attracts criticism or controversy.

  • Franklin is famous for his experiments with the lightning rod.

• Lightning bug (n): (Chiefly US) Another term for a firefly, an insect that produces light.

Synonyms

• Flash: A sudden brief burst of bright light.
• Bolt: A shaft of lightning (as in "lightning bolt").

Related Phrases

• "Lightning never strikes twice (in the same place)": A proverb suggesting that an unusual or disastrous event is unlikely to happen again in the same way or to the same person. (Note: This is scientifically inaccurate but used idiomatically.)

  • Don't worry about another failure; lightning never strikes twice.

• "Lightning war": A direct translation of "Blitzkrieg," referring to a war conducted with great speed and force.

  • The strategy was based on the concept of lightning war.

Idioms

• "To catch lightning in a bottle": To capture something powerful and elusive; to achieve something rare and difficult to replicate.
  • The director managed to catch lightning in a bottle with that incredible film.

Noun

1. the flash of light that accompanies an electric discharge in the atmosphere (or something resembling such a flash); can scintillate for a second or more
2. abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light