thundering

[ thuhn-der-ing ]

/ ˈθʌn dər ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR thundering ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or accompanied by thunder.

producing a noise or effect like thunder.

very great; extraordinary: a thundering amount of work.

noun

thunder.

Nearby words

Origin of thundering

before 1100; Middle English thundring, Old English thunring thunder. See thunder, -ing², -ing¹

Related formsthun·der·ing·ly, adverbun·thun·der·ing, adjective

thunder

[ thuhn-der ]

/ ˈθʌn dər /

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.

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

Related formsthun·der·er, nounthun·der·less, adjectiveout·thun·der, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for thundering

The beasts are huge, hulking, fast and unpredictable—tons of muscle, horn and thundering hooves.
Chicago’s Running of the Bulls|Hampton Stevens|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
John McCain voted for federal funding in 2007, thundering about thousands of frozen embryos.
Bush's Deadly Blunder|Jeffrey Hart|November 26, 2008|DAILY BEAST
There was a thundering roar, and the whole pile broke into a myriad parts.
Colorado Jim|George Goodchild
Now and then that booming, roaring, thundering sound would burst upon their ears again.
The Tale of Billy Woodchuck|Arthur Scott Bailey

We had to lay off about half a mile to get a safe anchorage, and there was a thundering row who should stop on board.
Twelve Stories and a Dream|H. G. Wells
From hence shall be produced three thundering bulls, who having eaten up their pastures shall be turned into trees.
Old English Chronicles|Various
What's anybody's motive, who figures in this thundering dime-novel?
The Black Bag|Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for thundering

thundering

/ (ˈθʌndərɪŋ) /

adjective

(prenominal) slang very great or excessivea thundering idiot

Derived Formsthunderingly, adverb

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 Formsthunderer, 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

Word Origin and History for thundering

thunder

Old English þunor, from Proto-Germanic *thunraz (cf. Old Norse þorr, Old Frisian thuner, Middle Dutch donre, Dutch donder, Old High German donar, German Donner "thunder"), from PIE *(s)tene- "to resound, thunder" (cf. Sanskrit tanayitnuh "thundering," Persian tundar "thunder," Latin tonare "to thunder"). Swedish tordön is literally "Thor's din." The intrusive -d- is also found in Dutch and Icelandic versions of the word.

thunder

Old English þunrian, from the source of thunder (n.). Figurative sense of "to speak loudly, threateningly, bombastically" is recorded from mid-14c. Related: Thundered; thundering.

Science definitions for thundering

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.

Culture definitions for thundering

thunder

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

Idioms and Phrases with thundering

thunder

see under steal someone's thunder.

thundering

adjective

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of thundering

thunder

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Origin of thunder

Examples from the Web for thundering

thundering

adjective

thunder

noun

verb

Word Origin for thunder

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