thunder

From Middle English thunder, thonder, thundre, thonre, thunnere, þunre, from Old English þunor (“thunder”), from Proto-West Germanic *þunr, from Proto-Germanic *þunraz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ten-, *(s)tenh₂- (“to thunder”).

Compare astound, astonish, stun. Germanic cognates include West Frisian tonger, Dutch donder, German Donner, Old Norse Þórr (English Thor), Danish torden, Norwegian Nynorsk tore. Other cognates include Persian تندر‎ (tondar), Latin tonō, detonō, Ancient Greek στένω (sténō), στενάζω (stenázō), στόνος (stónos), Στέντωρ (Sténtōr), Irish torann, Welsh taran, Gaulish Taranis. Doublet of donner.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈθʌndə/
• (General American) enPR: thŭn′dər, IPA^(key): /ˈθʌndɚ/

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• Rhymes: -ʌndə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: thun‧der

thunder (countable and uncountable, plural thunders)

1. The loud rumbling, cracking, or crashing sound caused by expansion of rapidly heated air around a lightning bolt.

   Thunder is preceded by lightning.

2. A deep, rumbling noise resembling thunder.

   Off in the distance, he heard the thunder of hoofbeats, signalling a stampede.

3. An alarming or startling threat or denunciation.
   • 1847, William H. Prescott, A History of the Conquest of Peru

     The thunders of the Vatican could no longer strike into the heart of princes.

4. (obsolete) The discharge of electricity; a thunderbolt.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     The revenging gods / 'Gainst parricides did all their thunders bend.

5. (figuratively) The spotlight.

   Shortly after I announced my pregnancy, he stole my thunder with his news of landing his dream job.

• roll, clap, peal are some of the words used to count thunder e.g. A series of rolls/claps/peals of thunder were heard

• → Alemannic German: Thönder
• → Japanese: サンダー (sandā)
• → Tagalog: tanda

• lightning

thunder (third-person singular simple present thunders, present participle thundering, simple past and past participle thundered)

1. (impersonal) To produce thunder; to sound, rattle, or roar, as a discharge of atmospheric electricity.

   It thundered continuously.

2. (intransitive) To make a noise like thunder.

   The train thundered along the tracks.

3. (ergative) To (make something) move very fast (with loud noise).
   • 1983, David Sylvian (lyrics), Ryuichi Sakamoto (music), “Forbidden Colours”, in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, performed by David Sylvian:

     Senseless years thunder by / Millions are willing to give their lives for you / Does nothing live on?

4. (intransitive, transitive) To say (something) with a loud, threatening voice.

   "Get back to work at once!", he thundered.

5. To produce something with incredible power.
   • 2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC‎:

     Just as it appeared Arsenal had taken the sting out of the tie, Johnson produced a moment of outrageous quality, thundering a bullet of a left foot shot out of the blue and into the top left-hand corner of Wojciech Szczesny's net with the Pole grasping at thin air.

• (to say something with a loud, threatening voice): thunderer

• thundering

thunder

1. Alternative form of thonder