thunder

[ thuhn-der ]

/ ˈθʌn dər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR thunder ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Idioms for thunder

steal someone's thunder,

to use for one's own purposes and without the knowledge or permission of the originator the inventions or ideas of another.
to ruin or detract from the effect of a performance, remark, etc., by anticipating it.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM thunder

thun·der·er, noun thun·der·less, adjective out·thun·der, verb (used with object)

Words nearby thunder

thummim, thump, thumping, thun, thunbergia, thunder, thunder bay, thunder egg, thunder mug, thunder sheet, thunderation

Example sentences from the Web for thunder

Zilch, what with Showtime's other steamy sex-heavy drama, The Affair, stealing its thunder.

15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & More |Kevin Fallon |December 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And the second I arrived and did my last step, there was thunder and rain pouring.

Philippe Petit’s Moment of Concern Walking the WTC Tightrope |Anthony Haden-Guest |August 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
There were flashes of lightning outside and the rumble of thunder.

The Gentle Giant Cut Down by Cops |Michael Daly |July 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Thunder peals outside, and there is a flash that shows the wire threaded through the thick window glass above the bleachers.

Shaq, Year One |Charles P. Pierce |May 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

But as the furor subsides and the thunder dies, most or all of those girls probably will remain captives.

The Boko Haram Bidding War |Christopher Dickey |May 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
What in thunder do you mean by exchanging my valise for this one?

The Man in Lower Ten |Mary Roberts Rinehart
The day was clear, but soon after the woman entered the tipi, thunder was heard.

The Sun Dance of the Blackfoot Indians |Clark Wissler
Next a rolling sound such as thunder makes a long way off filled the air.

The Strange Story Book |Mrs. Andrew Lang
And when the third seal was broken, another of the winged animals bellowed like a thunder clap, "Come and see!"

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse |Vicente Blasco Ibanez
The thunder of its voice is as the voice of the hurrying people.

The Voice of the Machines |Gerald Stanley Lee

British Dictionary definitions for thunder

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 heavily the bus thundered downhill

(intr) to utter vehement threats or denunciation; rail

Derived forms of thunder

thunderer, noun thundery, adjective

Word Origin for thunder

Old English thunor; related to Old Saxon thunar, Old High German donar, Old Norse thōrr; see Thor, Thursday

Scientific definitions for thunder

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.

Cultural definitions for thunder

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 thunder

thunder

see under steal someone's thunder.

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