A lightning round is a round of a game or contest in which the duration of the round is a pre-determined length of time, and the goal is typically to accomplish as much as possible within that period. The most common format of a lightning round is in a question-and-answer game, to answer as many questions as possible within a given time limit. The term "lightning round" is usually reserved for a single round in a game whose normal gameplay is untimed.

In television, a lightning round is usually accompanied by an indicator of the time remaining, and is commonly presented with some increase of intensity, such as a change of lighting, or sound effect (such as a ticking clock), or musical cue. The game show Password, while not the first to employ such a round, was the first to formally call it the "Lightning Round".

The term was also famously used in the Friends

Friends

Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...

episode "The One With the Embryos".