lightning Hear it!

lightning Definition

light·ning (līt′niŋ)

noun

  1. a flash of light in the sky caused by the discharge of atmospheric electricity from one cloud to another or between a cloud and the earth
  2. such a discharge of electricity

Etymology: ME lightninge < lightnen, to lighten

intransitive verb

to give off such a discharge

adjective

like lightning

lightning Synonyms

lightning

n.

electrical discharge, fulmination, streak of lightning, lightning flash, thunderball, thunderstroke, firebolt, thunderlight, thunderbolt, bolt, bolt from the blue; see also electricity 2.

Types of lightning include: ball, globular, chain, forked, heat, summer, sheet.

lightning Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • fork: His air of being on the point of shooting out forked lightning left him.
  • grease: Like greased lightning, Guy set to work, and within hours the navigation bar sported a link reading Chris is Great.
  • flash: There's plenty of blood, and flashing lightning as the corpse is hidden - but where?
  • attract: Keep away from solitary trees as they attract lightning.
  • watch: Unfortunately during the ascent we watched lightning in clouds below to the north, our summit.
  • prove: Proving the lightning does strike twice, Read then dismissed Gillmor when again a defensive shot spun back into the batsman's wicket.

Converse of subject

  • strike: You're more likely to be struck dead by lightning than you are to win the Lottery?
  • hit: Apparently a group of cavers were hit by ground lightning in the same area a few years ago.
  • kill: The number of people killed by lightning each year has varied markedly.
  • destroy: This one was built in the 13th century and used to have a spire, which was destroyed by lightning in the 17th century.

Adjective modifier

white: With a sharp crack a bolt of brilliant white lightning forked across the sky toward us.

Modifies a noun

  • bolt: Do you have any idea what the small light bulbs or the ' lightning bolt ' are for?
  • conductor: There are nearly always three lightning conductors sticking up at the top of the tower.
  • strike: Two of them were wearing a red lightning strike on the tail which made a nice change from the usual all over gray.
  • flash: An evil dark gray wall of rain with occasional lightning flashes was the lot.
  • rod: Living with a lightning rod for trouble has its advantages.
  • storm: You might infer " hmm, maybe lightning storm happened " .

Noun used with modifier

  • ball: A recent article in the New Scientist described a fresh theory for the phenomenon of ball lightning.
  • sheet: The day started with loud thunder ringing in my ears and sheet lightning flashes before by eyes.

Preposition: from

heaven: This is not about bolts of lightning from heaven, or arbitrary punishments.