Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

chain lightning

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.08 in modern English

Syllables: chain -light-ning
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Lightning in angular, zigzag, or forked flashes.

Canadian usage; American usage; Uncountable

noun

(A person or thing that is) very fast and dynamic.

American usage; Uncountable

noun

A high-proof whiskey or other spirit that has not been allowed to mature; a poor-quality or adulterated spirit.

American usage; Obsolete; Slang; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"smart as chain lightning (sharp-witted)"
"faster than a cat lapping chain lightning"
"[…] over a mile square of [the desert floor] was ringed and streaked and striped with a thousand branching streams of liquid and gorgeously brilliant fire! It looked like a colossal railroad map of the State of Massachusetts done in chain lightning on a midnight sky."
"Wild wind sweeps from the North, flattening the bushes / As with a crash of doom chain-lightning falls."
"The birch trees are bare and white as chain lightning against the sky."
"Hettie was chain lightning with a six-shooter."

Usage

Phrases

bead lightning fork lightning

Frequently Paired Words

bead lightning fork lightning

Synonyms

hooch moonshine red-eye rotgut squirrel whiskey forked lightning

Questions

What does chain lightning mean?: Lightning in angular, zigzag, or forked flashes.

How to pronounce chain lightning

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “chain lightning”.
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