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thunderstorm

American  
[thuhn-der-stawrm] / ˈθʌn dərˌstɔrm /

noun

  1. a transient storm of lightning and thunder, usually with rain and gusty winds, sometimes with hail or snow, produced by cumulonimbus clouds.

thunderstorm British  
/ ˈθʌndəˌstɔːm /

noun

  1. a storm caused by strong rising air currents and characterized by thunder and lightning and usually heavy rain or hail

"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
thunderstorm Scientific  
/ thŭn′dər-stôrm′ /

  1. A storm of heavy rain accompanied by lightning, thunder, wind, and sometimes hail. Thunderstorms occur when moist air near the ground becomes heated, especially in the summer, and rises, forming cumulonimbus clouds that produce precipitation. Electrical charges accumulate at the bases of the clouds until lightning is discharged. Air in the path of the lightning expands as a result of being heated, causing thunder. Thunderstorms can also be caused by temperature changes triggered by volcanic eruptions and forest fires, and they occur with much greater frequency at the equatorial regions than in polar regions.

Etymology

Origin of thunderstorm

First recorded in 1645–55; thunder + storm

Vocabulary lists containing thunderstorm

Physical Geography - Introductory

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Physical Geography - Middle School

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Earth Science - Middle School

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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.

Thunderstorm losses were around $56 billion, and $42 billion of it was insured—which is above the 10-year average of $39 billion in overall losses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

Thunderstorm clouds contain a mix of ice crystals and larger chunks of ice.

From Science Daily • Nov. 24, 2025

Multiple Tornado Warnings on the Central Coast, flooding in the Bay Area, the first Severe Thunderstorm Watch in the Los Angeles region in 17 years, and heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2025

“No storm was to be avoided because it appeared too large or too violent,” a senior analyst for that endeavor, the Thunderstorm Project, later said at a meeting of the National Weather Association.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2024

Thunderstorm, thought Alyce, as she hurried to fasten the wooden shutters over the windows before the skies opened.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

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.