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thunderbolt

[ thuhn-der-bohlt ]
/ ˈθʌn dərˌboʊlt /
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noun
a flash of lightning with the accompanying thunder.
an imaginary bolt or dart conceived as the material destructive agent cast to earth in a flash of lightning: the thunderbolts of Jove.
something very destructive, terrible, severe, sudden, or startling.
a person who acts with fury or with sudden and irresistible force.
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Origin of thunderbolt

First recorded in 1400–50, thunderbolt is from late Middle English thondre bolte. See thunder, bolt1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use thunderbolt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for thunderbolt

thunderbolt
/ (ˈθʌndəˌbəʊlt) /

noun
a flash of lightning accompanying thunder
the imagined agency of destruction produced by a flash of lightning
(in mythology) the destructive weapon wielded by several gods, esp the Greek god ZeusSee also Thor
something very startling
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
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