thunderclap
Americannoun
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a crash of thunder.
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something resembling a thunderclap, as in loudness or unexpectedness.
noun
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a loud outburst of thunder
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something as violent or unexpected as a clap of thunder
Etymology
Origin of thunderclap
First recorded in 1350–1400, thunderclap is from Middle English thonder clappe. See thunder, clap 1
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.
"On paper, this was another thunderclap quarter. And yet the stock dipped. The market is no longer pricing growth. It is pricing perpetuity."
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
He remains a thunderclap from the baseline, but has options other than ferocious groundstrokes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 7, 2025
We thought there would be a reaction but nobody could have foreseen this absolute thunderclap.
From BBC • Jul. 26, 2025
Reaser’s laugh erupts without warning, big and loud like a thunderclap; Harner’s is equally boisterous.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025
That point would be marked by a gigantic thunderclap, after which Alvarez would haul his gangly frame into the tube to strip away the stalagmites and stalactites and buff the surface smooth.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
