adjective
Other Word Forms
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 the thundering basslines rumble, hundreds of people dance with wild abandon.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2025
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
Richael Keller has always been sensitive to loud commercials, but when thundering streaming-service ads disturbed her sleeping newborn, her reaction was heated enough to blaze a path to the California state Capitol.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025
When Harry looked up again, Snape was in full flight, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout all thundering after him: He hurtled through a classroom door and, moments later, he heard McGonagall cry, “Coward! COWARD!”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
