Meaning & use
thunder
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Meanings
noununcountable
The loud rumbling or crashing sound that follows a flash of lightning.
Grammar: Uncountable: you can say 'a clap of thunder' but not 'a thunder'.
Patterns
- a clap of thunder
- the rumble of thunder
- thunder and lightning
The thunder woke the children in the middle of the night.
After the lightning, we heard a loud clap of thunder.
The storm brought heavy rain and thunder.
verbintransitive
To make a loud, deep, rumbling sound, like thunder.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'down', 'past', 'through': The train thundered through the station.
Patterns
- thunder down something
- thunder past
- thunder through something
The trucks thundered down the highway all night.
A herd of elephants thundered past us.
The waterfall thundered over the rocks.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To speak very loudly and forcefully, especially in anger or to give an order.
Grammar: Can be used with or without an object: He thundered a warning. / He thundered at them.
Patterns
- thunder at someone
- thunder something
- thunder out something
The coach thundered at the players for their mistakes.
She thundered out her orders and everyone obeyed.
He thundered a protest from the back of the room.
Word forms
| third person singular | thunders |
|---|---|
| past tense | thundered |
| past participle | thundered |
| -ing form | thundering |
Common combinations
- a clap of thunder
- A sudden clap of thunder made us jump.
- thunder and lightning
- The storm brought thunder and lightning all night.
- thunder down the road
- The motorcycle thundered down the road.
- thunder at someone
- The boss thundered at his employees for being late.
- the rumble of thunder
- In the distance, we heard the rumble of thunder.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rumble
- A continuous, low, rolling sound; 'thunder' is usually louder and more crashing.
- roar
- A very loud, deep sound, often from an animal or crowd; 'thunder' is specifically the sound after lightning or a similar booming noise.
- boom
- A deep, loud, hollow sound; 'thunder' is more specific to weather or a prolonged rumbling.
Word family
- thunderous adjective
- Very loud, like thunder: thunderous applause.
- thundery adjective
- Describing weather that is likely to have thunder.
- thunderously adverb
- In a very loud, thunder-like way.
- thunderstorm noun
- A storm with thunder and lightning.
Commonly confused: thunder or lightning?
thunder vs lightning
The flash of light in the sky; 'thunder' is the sound that follows it. People sometimes confuse the spelling: 'lightning' has no 'e'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'thunder' correctly as a noun?
Choose one answer.
'Thunder' is uncountable, so you cannot say 'a thunder' or 'thunders'. You can say 'a clap of thunder' or just 'loud thunder'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thunder”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.