adjective
Other Word Forms
- thunderingly adverb
- unthundering adjective
Etymology
Origin of thundering
before 1100; Middle English thundring, Old English thunring thunder. See thunder, -ing 2, -ing 1
Explanation
Thundering describes a sound that is deep and resounding—or resembling thunder. The thundering sound of feet hurrying down the hall is one sign that school's over for the day. The sound of a thunderstorm can be described as thundering of course, but so can other loud, booming noises. You might love the thundering sound of a rock concert but hate the thundering voice of an angry parent scolding a child. This adjective comes from the verb thunder, which we can trace back to a root that means "resound."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As he dominated center stage, the thundering chorus of his speeches — “I am … somebody” — inspired his followers even as it sometimes sounded like a painful plea.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026
“It was raining straight down, it was thundering and it was 27 degrees,” he said, recalling watching the storm early Sunday morning.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
This city may be small, but in 1926 it became immortal, the place where a fiesta, thundering hooves, and a novel collided to shape modern legend.
From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025
Playing 12, Farrell had a lovely pass to White in the build-up to the try finished off by the thundering Cummings.
From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025
He toured the country, mesmerizing crowds with thundering calls for black people to shake off the undermining ghetto stereotypes and claim their long-denied political power.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
