thunder

[ thuhn-der ]

/ ˈθʌn dər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: thunder / thundered / thundering on Thesaurus.com

noun

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)

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.

to utter loud or vehement denunciations, threats, or the like.

to speak in a very loud tone.

to move or go with a loud noise or violent action: The train thundered through the village.

verb (used with object)

to strike, drive, inflict, give forth, etc., with loud noise or violent action.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about thunder

steal someone's thunder,

to use for one's own purposes and without the knowledge or permission of the originator the inventions or ideas of another.
to ruin or detract from the effect of a performance, remark, etc., by anticipating it.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM thunder

thun·der·er, nounthun·der·less, adjectiveoutthunder, verb (used with object)

Words nearby thunder

Thummim, thump, thumping, Thun, thunbergia, thunder, thunderation, Thunder Bay, thunderbird, thunderbolt, thunderbox

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use thunder in a sentence

The seismometer has even been known to pick up the faint thunder of dust devils whirling across the cold desert world.
Rumbles on Mars Raise Hopes of Underground Magma Flows|Robin George Andrews|February 1, 2021|Quanta Magazine
He’d worried that if crews slowed the Catalan fires, they might cause it to form a pyrocumulonimbus—a violent cloud of fire, thunder, and wind like the one that formed over the Creek Fire.
What the complex math of fire modeling tells us about the future of California’s forests|Amy Nordrum|January 18, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Sure, Hulk is strong, Thor can control thunder and Captain Marvel can fly and shoot energy beams.
Everything You Need to Know Before Watching WandaVision|Eliana Dockterman|January 14, 2021|Time
As for the possibility of thunderstorms, we cannot rule out some rumbles of thunder in the heavier rain cells.
Heavy rain and isolated flooding forecast for Washington region Wednesday into Thursday|Jeffrey Halverson, Jason Samenow|November 10, 2020|Washington Post

Unfortunately, rains arrive tomorrow and could be heavy at times with even a rumble or two of thunder.
D.C.-area forecast: Another day of nice, warm weather before rain returns|Matt Rogers|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
I inherited the Arnold Family Thunder ThighsTM, which was a source of frequent teasing and distress for me as a child.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Watch your back Liam Neeson, here comes Kevin Costner to steal your older-leading-man thunder!
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More|Kevin Fallon|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Zilch, what with Showtime's other steamy sex-heavy drama, The Affair, stealing its thunder.
15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & More|Kevin Fallon|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the second I arrived and did my last step, there was thunder and rain pouring.
Philippe Petit’s Moment of Concern Walking the WTC Tightrope|Anthony Haden-Guest|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then the flares light up the sky and the building begins to shake from the deadly thunder of Protective Edge.
Israel’s Campaign to Send Gaza Back to the Stone Age|Jesse Rosenfeld|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The riches of the unjust shall be dried up like a river, and shall pass away with a noise like a great thunder in rain.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The tops of the hills were laden with thunder-clouds, and the turbid atmosphere laboured with the stifling Sirocco.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The menace of a thunder-cloud approached as in his childhood's dream; disaster lurked behind the quiet outer show.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
One day the hopes of all were aroused by a distant roar in the mountains, only to be dashed by finding it to be thunder.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
It was a few days after the bursting of this domestic thunder-cloud, that Gilbert and Dorothy were thrown alone together.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie

British Dictionary definitions for thunder

thunder

/ (ˈθʌndə) /

noun

a loud cracking or deep rumbling noise caused by the rapid expansion of atmospheric gases which are suddenly heated by lightning

any loud booming sound

rare a violent threat or denunciation

steal someone's thunder to detract from the attention due to another by forestalling him or her

verb

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 heavilythe bus thundered downhill

(intr) to utter vehement threats or denunciation; rail

Derived forms of thunder

thunderer, nounthundery, adjective

Word Origin for thunder

Old English thunor; related to Old Saxon thunar, Old High German donar, Old Norse thōrr; see Thor, Thursday

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for thunder

thunder

[ thŭn′dər ]

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. See Note at lightning.

Cultural definitions for thunder

thunder

The noise created when air rushes back into a region from which it has been expelled by the passage of lightning.

Other Idioms and Phrases with thunder

thunder

see under steal someone's thunder.

thunder

Idioms about thunder

Origin of thunder

OTHER WORDS FROM thunder

Words nearby thunder

Words related to thunder

How to use thunder in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for thunder

Derived forms of thunder

Word Origin for thunder

Scientific definitions for thunder

Cultural definitions for thunder

Other Idioms and Phrases with thunder