divining rod

noun

: a forked rod believed to indicate the presence of water or minerals especially by dipping downward when held over a vein

Examples of divining rod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As the book’s subtitle indicates, Reed was also a divining rod for New York, tracking and manifesting the city’s raw energies. Jeremy Lybarger, The New Republic, 17 Oct. 2023 Rorschach, founded by Frederick and Randy Baker in the late 1990s, has developed a veritable divining rod for places to put on shows. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 12 July 2023 Dozens of people have descended with shovels and metal detectors, and one man even brought a divining rod, according to Mr. Tammes, who lives on the estate where the treasure might be buried. Claire Moses, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2023 That becomes your divining rod. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2021 Over five years of production, Brennan, 30, used his camera as a kind of divining rod for finding ways to live more consciously in a world of higher temperatures and ever-worsening drought. David Hochman, Forbes, 21 June 2021 Throughout his career, Biden has been a divining rod for the middle of his party, more moderate in the 1990s when that was in vogue and more liberal during the Obama era when the center of gravity shifted. Peter Baker, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Jan. 2021 Throughout his career, Mr. Biden has been a divining rod for the middle of his party, more moderate in the 1990s when that was in vogue and more liberal during the Obama era when the center of gravity shifted. New York Times, 16 Jan. 2021 The brown stone fly nymph on the end of my line and the 9-foot-graphite stick in my hand would have to act as the steelhead divining rod. Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'divining rod.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1751, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of divining rod was in 1751

Dictionary Entries Near divining rod

Cite this Entry

“Divining rod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divining%20rod. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

divining rod

noun
: a forked rod believed to reveal the presence of water or minerals by dipping downward when held over a vein
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!