third rail
noun
1
: a metal rail through which electric current is led to the motors of an electric vehicle (such as a subway car)
2
: a controversial issue usually avoided by politicians
Examples of third rail in a Sentence
Social Security is the third rail of American politics.
Recent Examples on the Web
Protecting Social Security and Medicare: Trump has pledged not to touch the third rail of politics, even floating a plan to cut Social Security taxes for seniors.
—
Axios, 9 Oct. 2024
Trump stood on stage for nearly two hours, touching the third rail of Wisconsin politics by overlapping with a Green Bay Packers game, drawing derision from Democrats.
—Adriana Gomez Licon, Twin Cities, 6 Oct. 2024
But Ginsberg and others did not do so, and that required significant amounts of courage, the same kind that Harlan brought to the scene in his own writing, which often touched a variety of cultural third rails.
—Jason Sheehan, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2024
The new plant, Siemens's third rail production facility in the U.S., comes as the Biden Administration continues its push to get high-speed trains up and running in one of the few advanced nations that doesn’t have them.
—Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for third rail 
Axios, 9 Oct. 2024
Trump stood on stage for nearly two hours, touching the third rail of Wisconsin politics by overlapping with a Green Bay Packers game, drawing derision from Democrats.
—Adriana Gomez Licon, Twin Cities, 6 Oct. 2024
But Ginsberg and others did not do so, and that required significant amounts of courage, the same kind that Harlan brought to the scene in his own writing, which often touched a variety of cultural third rails.
—Jason Sheehan, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2024
The new plant, Siemens's third rail production facility in the U.S., comes as the Biden Administration continues its push to get high-speed trains up and running in one of the few advanced nations that doesn’t have them.
—Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for third rail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'third rail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/third%20rail. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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