thunder
Americannoun
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a loud, explosive, resounding noise produced by the explosive expansion of air heated by a lightning discharge.
-
any loud, resounding noise.
the thunder of applause.
-
a threatening or startling utterance, denunciation, or the like.
verb (used without object)
-
thunders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thundered,
past participle, past
-
thundering
present participle
-
to give forth thunder (often used impersonally with it as the subject).
It thundered last night.
-
to make a loud, resounding noise like thunder.
The artillery thundered in the hills.
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to utter loud or vehement denunciations, threats, or the like.
-
to speak in a very loud tone.
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to move or go with a loud noise or violent action.
The train thundered through the village.
verb (used with object)
-
thunders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thundered,
past participle, past
-
thundering
present participle
idioms
noun
-
a loud cracking or deep rumbling noise caused by the rapid expansion of atmospheric gases which are suddenly heated by lightning
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any loud booming sound
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rare a violent threat or denunciation
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to detract from the attention due to another by forestalling him or her
verb
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to make (a loud sound) or utter (words) in a manner suggesting thunder
-
(intr; with it as subject) to be the case that thunder is being heard
-
(intr) to move fast and heavily
the bus thundered downhill
-
(intr) to utter vehement threats or denunciation; rail
-
The explosive noise that accompanies a stroke of lightning. Thunder is a series of sound waves produced by the rapid expansion of the air through which the lightning passes. Sound travels about 1 km in 3 seconds (about 1 mi in 5 seconds). The distance between an observer and a lightning flash can be calculated by counting the number of seconds between the flash and the thunder.
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See Note at lightning
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
thundersimple
-
thunderssimple
-
have thunderedperfect
-
has thunderedperfect
-
am thunderingprogressive
-
are thunderingprogressive
-
is thunderingprogressive
-
have been thunderingperfect progressive
-
has been thunderingperfect progressive
Past
-
thunderedsimple
-
had thunderedperfect
-
was thunderingprogressive
-
were thunderingprogressive
-
had been thunderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thunder
before 900; (noun) Middle English thonder, thunder, Old English thunor; cognate with Dutch donder, German Donner; Old Norse thōrr Thor, literally, thunder; (v.) Middle English thondren, Old English thunrian, derivative of the v.; akin to Latin tonāre to thunder
Explanation
Thunder is the loud noise that comes right after lightning. It also can refer to a loud, booming sound, or mean to move heavily but quickly. Thunder is made up of the rumbles and cracks accompanying lightning during a thunderstorm. You can also use this word for other loud noises, like the thunder of a loud rock band or your uncle's booming voice. A powerful singer can be said to thunder, singing in a way that's as noisy and impressive as a thunderstorm. Thunder can also be used for big, fast movements, like a tank thundering across a field or a truck thundering down the highway.
Vocabulary lists containing thunder
Physical Geography - Introductory
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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Physical Geography - High School
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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.
See Examples For:
Unstable air underneath the low has allowed big storm clouds to develop, capable of delivering torrential downpours accompanied by hail and thunder.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
They saw messages from the divine in thunder and lightning, bird flight and the entrails of sacrificed animals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Crowds braved record heat to attend US President Donald Trump's grand July Fourth celebrations in Washington Saturday, until sharp winds, thunder and lightning prompted evacuations and the scene descended into chaos, anger and confusion.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
But the top note, the sauce, is the silence enveloping it all, peppered by the thunder of a squall just outside.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
The sound of the bat hitting the ball was like thunder.
From "The Missing Mitt (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #2)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Another scene, in which a captured German officer demands the young private’s name and Mainwaring thunders: “Don’t tell him, Pike” is routinely voted one of Britain’s funniest TV moments.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
The secretary of state’s “silence thunders in my ears and heart,” the rabbi wrote.
From Slate ● Nov. 30, 2023
Yet this new chamber music triptych dances more than it thunders.
From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2023
Turn off “The Last Dance” videos, lose the romantic Bulls-colored glasses, separate the myths from the men, and the reality thunders down like a trademark James tomahawk dunk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2023
‘I’m sick,' Hooper said primly, 'in storms. I always have been sick. At school I’m allowed to go out of form and lie down, if it thunders.’
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
Church bells pealed and cannons thundered when Americans learned that the Continental Congress had adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
When CNN co-moderator Elex Michaelson asked Villaraigosa if he would cancel California’s much-maligned high-speed rail project, the candidate’s emphatic “No” thundered down like a Lebron James dunk.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Nasa's Artemis II mission thundered away from Florida's coast, taking its four crew members on their historic journey to circle the Moon.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026
Everton pushed for a winner and Gueye, another of Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations heroes, almost got it when he thundered a fierce strike against the bar.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
His foot hooked on something in the air and he hopped again, bounding up an invisible set of steps as Ivan’s water column thundered through where he had just stood.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
That was the beginning of the chants, arguably louder than for any other player in Dodger Stadium history, stronger than Moo-kie, deeper than Fred-die, chants thundering enough to seemingly be heard for a lifetime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Ride, its follow-up, is a darker dose of disco, punctuated with cracking whips and the thundering footfall of wild horses.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 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
What a perverse outcome that would be for Catholic Charities, after its thundering 9-0 victory in America’s highest court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
The tiny buzz filled her ears, and she thought she might not be able to hear the other speaker over her thundering heart.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
