Meaning & use
lightning strike
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
a sudden hit by a flash of lightning on a place or object
Grammar: Countable: one strike, two strikes. Often used with 'by': killed by a lightning strike.
Patterns
- a lightning strike on something
- be killed by a lightning strike
- survive a lightning strike
The old oak tree was split by a lightning strike during the storm.
A lightning strike started the fire that burned the barn.
The pilot said the plane had been checked after a lightning strike.
nouncountableBritish
a sudden strike by workers with no warning
Grammar: Countable and usually used in news reports about unions and factories.
Patterns
- call a lightning strike
- a lightning strike by workers
- a lightning strike at a factory
The union called a lightning strike after talks broke down.
A lightning strike closed the plant for two days.
Management was surprised by the lightning strike on Monday morning.
Word forms
| plural | lightning strikes |
|---|
Common combinations
- be hit by a lightning strike
- The church tower was hit by a lightning strike last summer.
- a lightning strike on a building
- There was a lightning strike on the roof of the hotel.
- survive a lightning strike
- Few people survive a lightning strike without injury.
- call a lightning strike
- The workers decided to call a lightning strike over pay.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: lightning strike or thunderbolt?
lightning strike vs thunderbolt
A thunderbolt is a flash of lightning with thunder, often in literary use; a lightning strike is the physical hit on something.
Practice
The tree was destroyed by a lightning ___ during the storm.
Choose one answer.
We need the noun after 'a lightning', so 'strike' is correct. 'Struck' is the past tense of the verb and cannot follow 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lightning strike”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.