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thundercloud

American  
[thuhn-der-klaud] / ˈθʌn dərˌklaʊd /
Or thunderclouds

noun

  1. cumulonimbus.


thundercloud British  
/ ˈθʌndəˌklaʊd /

noun

  1. a towering electrically charged cumulonimbus cloud associated with thunderstorms

  2. anything that is threatening

"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

thundercloud Scientific  
/ thŭn′dər-kloud′ /

Etymology

Origin of thundercloud

First recorded in 1690–1700; thunder + cloud


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:

LE PORGE, France — A monster fire-induced thundercloud towered over Bordeaux this summer, the first time firefighters had ever seen this type of ominous smoke-and-lightning weather system in France.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

A honeybee swarm has as much electric charge as a thundercloud, and the insects’ mass movements in the atmosphere might even have some influence on the weather.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 13, 2023

A thundercloud of media interest has hung over claims of a strained brotherly relationship, now conducted from different sides of the Atlantic.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2022

A single unexpected bolt from a rogue thundercloud can be just as deadly to an individual, or as damaging to a property, as hundreds from a complex of storms.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2022

On those days, her hair standing out from her head like a thundercloud, she haunted Southside and Not Doctor Street until she found him.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

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