adjective
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completely taken aback; amazed or shocked
-
rare struck by lightning
Etymology
Origin of thunderstruck
Explanation
When you’re thunderstruck, you’re dumbfounded by something. Only something very shocking can leave you thunderstruck. If you walk by a statue in the park and it starts talking to you, you’ll probably be thunderstruck. If you were struck by lightning, it would stop you in your tracks. That unlikely event is the inspiration for this word, which involves more of a shock to the mind. When you’re thunderstruck, you’re amazed and stunned. The news that you’re pregnant could leave you thunderstruck. An incredible news story could leave you thunderstruck. This is a strong word for when your mind is truly blown.
Vocabulary lists containing thunderstruck
Ungifted
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The Landry News
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Out of My Heart
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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.
NJ Advance's Steve Politi offered a vivid account of how the July 29 LIV Golf event opened, with AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" blaring while three paratroopers landed "on a fairway nearby carrying a giant American flag."
From Salon • Aug. 2, 2022
Netflix previously experimented with multiple narratives in children's shows Puss in Books and Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile.
From BBC • Dec. 28, 2018
There was a series of experimental, interactive films in the mid-1990s, and more recently, Netflix debuted interactive episodes of Puss in Book and Buddy Thunderstruck that allowed viewers to make choices for the characters.
From The Verge • Apr. 26, 2018
In addition to the special episode of Puss in Book - subtitled Trapped in an Epic Tale - Netflix is making an interactive episode of the stop-motion series Buddy Thunderstruck available.
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2017
Thunderstruck, he stared at her: "What on earth are we to do?" he groaned.
From The Gay Rebellion by Frederick, Edmund
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.
