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 WebStar-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2024
The two faced off in a lightning round tiebreaker match — before the pair could even compete against each other in a conventional round.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 31 May 2024
Yet even that lightning pace pales in comparison with VinFast’s August IPO, with shares rocketing 700% over two weeks.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 30 May 2024
Adams said the threat of thunderstorms wasn’t quite over, because lightning can strike up to 15 miles from the base of a storm.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for lightning 
Noun
The likelihood of lightning increases as a thunderstorm gets closer and reaches its highest point when the storm is directly overhead.
—Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2024
The two faced off in a lightning round tiebreaker match — before the pair could even compete against each other in a conventional round.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 31 May 2024
Yet even that lightning pace pales in comparison with VinFast’s August IPO, with shares rocketing 700% over two weeks.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 30 May 2024
Adams said the threat of thunderstorms wasn’t quite over, because lightning can strike up to 15 miles from the base of a storm.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for lightning
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lightning.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lightning
Cite this Entry
“Lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lightning. Accessed 6 Jun. 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