adjective
Other Word Forms
- thunderingly adverb
- unthundering adjective
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.
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
Off a big scrum and a penalty advantage, Bundee Aki went thundering at the heart of the Brumbies.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2025
Unincorporated Agoura — Kelly Martino stood in front of the thundering hood of a Freightliner semi-truck hauling waste from the Palisades fire, determined to block it from entering the Calabasas Landfill.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2025
He toured the country, mesmerizing crowds with thundering calls for black people to shake off the undermining ghetto stereotypes and claim their long-denied political power.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
