blood and thunder
noun
sensationalism, violence, or exaggerated melodrama.
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blood and thunder
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blood-and-thunder
blood-and-thunderadjectivedenoting or relating to a melodramatic adventure story
blood and thunder
Americannoun
blood-and-thunder
British
adjective
Etymology
Origin of blood and thunder
First recorded in 1855–60
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.
See Examples For:
Morgan says his team will bring "heart, soul, blood and thunder".
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2024
There isn't the blood and thunder of South Africa, the champagne and swagger of France or the intricacies of Ireland.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2023
On the other side of the English Channel, the reaction against the French Revolution packed a lot more blood and thunder.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2023
This will go down as the blood and thunder final at the end of a competition that was all about harmony.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 11, 2010
Not merely may amateurs of blood and thunder, of passion and sensation, think her tame, but the more modern devotees of "analysis" may consider her superficial.
From The English Novel by George Saintsbury
A blood-and-thunder history of the region, from Ibn Saud’s capture of Riyadh in 1902 to the Hamas attacks of 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
That was recognition of what was at stake, by a crowd who played a massive part in a blood-and-thunder victory, which closed the gap on Leeds and Burnley to two points.
From BBC ● May 1, 2022
It is a testament to Barry’s longevity, adaptability and quality that he has lasted so long in the fast-paced, blood-and-thunder world of English soccer.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 21, 2017
At this World Cup, England Coach Roy Hodgson could follow most of his predecessors and deploy the traditional, failed bulldog, blood-and-thunder approach in a creaky old 4-4-2 formation.
From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2014
He played a blood-and-thunder hymn, and Mrs. Cobb clapped to it.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
