Adjacent Words

Thunder definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THUN'DER, n. [L. tonitru, from tono, to sound.]
1. The sound which follows an explosion of electricity or lightning; the report of a discharge of electrical fluid, that is, of its passage from one cloud to another, or from a cloud to the earth, or from the earth to a cloud. When this explosion is near to a person, the thunder is a rattling or clattering sound, and when distant, the sound is heavy and rumbling. The fact is in some degree the same with the report of a cannon. This sharpness or acuteness of the sound when near, and the rumbling murmur when distant, are the principal distinctions in thunder. [Thunder is not lightning, but the effect of it. See Johnson's Dictionary, under thunder.]
There were thunders and lightnings. Exodus 19.
2. Thunder is used for lightning, or for a thunderbolt, either originally through ignorance, or by way of metaphor, or because the lightning and thunder are closely united.
The revenging gods
'Gainst parricides all the thunder bend.
3. Any loud noise; as the thunder of cannon.
Sons of thunder. Mark 3.
4. Denunciation published; as the thunders of the Vatican.
THUN'DER, v.i. To sound, rattle or roar, as an explosion of electricity.
Canst thou thunder with a voice like him? Job 40.
1. To make a loud noise, particularly a heavy sound of some continuance.
His dreadful voice no more
Would thunder in my ears.
2. To rattle, or give a heavy rattling sound.
And roll the thund'ring chariot o'er the ground.
THUN'DER, v.t. To emit with noise and terror.
Oracles severe
Were daily thunder'd in our gen'ral's ear.
1. To publish any denunciation or threat.
An archdeacon, as being a prelate, may thunder out an ecclesiastical censure.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a deep prolonged loud noise [syn: boom, roar, roaring, thunder]
2: a booming or crashing noise caused by air expanding along the path of a bolt of lightning
3: street names for heroin [syn: big H, hell dust, nose drops, smack, thunder, skag, scag] v
1: move fast, noisily, and heavily; "The bus thundered down the road"
2: utter words loudly and forcefully; "`Get out of here,' he roared" [syn: thunder, roar]
3: be the case that thunder is being heard; "Whenever it thunders, my dog crawls under the bed" [syn: thunder, boom]
4: to make or produce a loud noise; "The river thundered below"; "The engine roared as the driver pushed the car to full throttle"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English thoner, thunder, from Old English thunor; akin to Old High German thonar thunder, Latin tonare to thunder Date: before 12th century 1. the sound that follows a flash of lightning and is caused by sudden expansion of the air in the path of the electrical discharge 2. a loud utterance or threat 3. bang, rumble <the thunder of big guns> II. verb (thundered; thundering) Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. a. to produce thunder — usually used impersonally <it thundered> b. to give forth a sound that resembles thunder <horses thundered down the road> 2. roar, shout transitive verb 1. to utter loudly ; roar 2. to strike with a sound likened to thunder • thunderer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash and due to the expansion of rapidly heated air. 2 a resounding loud deep noise (thunders of applause). 3 strong censure or denunciation. --v. 1 intr. (prec. by it as subject) thunder sounds (it is thundering; if it thunders). 2 intr. make or proceed with a noise suggestive of thunder (the applause thundered in my ears; the traffic thundered past). 3 tr. utter or communicate (approval, disapproval, etc.) loudly or impressively. 4 intr. (foll. by against etc.) a make violent threats etc. against. b criticize violently. Phrases and idioms: steal a person's thunder spoil the effect of another's idea, action, etc. by expressing or doing it first. thunder-box colloq. a primitive lavatory. Derivatives: thunderer n. thunderless adj. thundery adj. Etymology: OE thunor f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thunder Thun"der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Thundered; p. pr. & vb. n. Thundering.] [AS. [thorn]unrian. See Thunder, n.] 1. To produce thunder; to sound, rattle, or roar, as a discharge of atmospheric electricity; -- often used impersonally; as, it thundered continuously. Canst thou thunder with a voice like him? --Job xl. 9. 2. Fig.: To make a loud noise; esp. a heavy sound, of some continuance. His dreadful voice no more Would thunder in my ears. --Milton. 3. To utter violent denunciation.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thunder Thun"der, n. [OE. [thorn]under, [thorn]onder, [thorn]oner, AS. [thorn]unor; akin to [thorn]unian to stretch, to thunder, D. donder thunder, G. donner, OHG. donar, Icel. [thorn][=o]rr Thor, L. tonare to thunder, tonitrus thunder, Gr. to`nos a stretching, straining, Skr. tan to stretch. [root]52. See Thin, and cf. Astonish, Detonate, Intone, Thursday, Tone.] 1. The sound which follows a flash of lightning; the report of a discharge of atmospheric electricity. 2. The discharge of electricity; a thunderbolt. [Obs.] The revenging gods 'Gainst parricides did all their thunders bend. --Shak. 3. Any loud noise; as, the thunder of cannon. 4. An alarming or statrling threat or denunciation. The thunders of the Vatican could no longer strike into the heart of princes. --Prescott. Thunder pumper. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The croaker (Haploidontus grunniens). (b) The American bittern or stake-driver. Thunder rod, a lightning rod. [R.] Thunder snake. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The chicken, or milk, snake. (b) A small reddish ground snake (Carphophis, or Celuta, am[oe]na) native to the Eastern United States; -- called also worm snake. Thunder tube, a fulgurite. See Fulgurite.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thunder Thun"der, v. t. To emit with noise and terror; to utter vehemently; to publish, as a threat or denunciation. Oracles severe Were daily thundered in our general's ear. --Dryden. An archdeacon, as being a prelate, may thunder out an ecclesiastical censure. --Ayliffe.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(thunders, thundering, thundered) 1. Thunder is the loud noise that you hear from the sky after a flash of lightning, especially during a storm. ...a distant clap of thunder. 2. When it thunders, a loud noise comes from the sky after a flash of lightning. The day was heavy and still. It would probably thunder later. VERB: it V 3. The thunder of something that is moving or making a sound is the loud deep noise it makes. The thunder of the sea on the rocks seemed to blank out other thoughts... = roar N-UNCOUNT: N of n 4. If something or someone thunders somewhere, they move there quickly and with a lot of noise. A lorry thundered by. VERB: V prep/adv 5. If something thunders, it makes a very loud noise, usually continuously. She heard the sound of the guns thundering in the fog. ...thundering applause. = resound VERB: V, V-ing 6. If you thunder something, you say it loudly and forcefully, especially because you are angry. (WRITTEN) 'It's your money. Ask for it!' she thundered... The Prosecutor looked toward Napoleon, waiting for him to thunder an objection. = bellow VERB: V with quote, V n 7. If you steal someone's thunder, you get the attention or praise that they thought they would get, usually by saying or doing what they had intended to say or do. He had no intention of letting the Foreign Secretary steal any of his thunder. PHRASE: V inflects

Easton's Bible Dictionary

often referred to in Scripture (Job 40:9; Ps. 77:18; 104:7). James and John were called by our Lord "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17). In Job 39:19, instead of "thunder," as in the Authorized Version, the Revised Version translates (ra'amah) by "quivering main" (marg., "shaking"). Thunder accompanied the giving of the law at Sinai (Ex. 19:16). It was regarded as the voice of God (Job 37:2; Ps. 18:13; 81:7; comp. John 12:29). In answer to Samuel's prayer (1 Sam. 12:17, 18), God sent thunder, and "all the people greatly feared," for at such a season (the wheat-harvest) thunder and rain were almost unknown in Palestine.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

thun'-der (ra`am (1Sa 2:10; Job 26:14; 39:19; 40:9; Ps 77:18; 81:7; 104:7; Isa 29:6), qol, "a voice" (Ex 9:23; 1Sa 7:10; 12:17; Job 28:26; 38:25)): Thunder is the noise resulting from the lightning discharge. It is very common in the winter storms of Syria and Palestine and occurs in the extra-season storms. Thunder accompanied the storm of hail in Egypt at the time of the plagues: "The Lord sent thunder and hail" (Ex 9:23).

Lightning and thunder are indications of the power of Yahweh and His might. "The thunder of his power who can understand?" (Job 26:14); "The God of glory thundereth" (Ps 29:3). Yahweh also confused the Philistines with thunder (1Sa 7:10), and His foes were "visited of Yahweh of hosts with thunder" (Isa 29:6). Thunder was regarded as the voice of Yahweh: "God thundereth with the voice of his excellency" (Job 37:4), and God spoke to Jesus in the thunder (bronte, Joh 12:29).

See also LIGHTNING.

Alfred H. Joy

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Reverberating report (of a discharge of atmospheric electricity). 2. Loud noise, roar, rumbling, boom, detonation. 3. Alarming threat, startling denunciation, fulmination. II. v. n. 1. Sound, rattle, roar, roll, boom. 2. Make a loud noise, detonate. III. v. a. Utter threateningly, fulminate, hurl.

Moby Thesaurus

Bedlam let loose, Donar, Indra, Jupiter Tonans, Thor, awake the dead, bark, bawl, bedlam, bellow, blare, blare forth, blast, blast the ear, blat, blaze, blaze abroad, blazon, blazon about, blubber, bobbery, boom, booming, brawl, bray, breathe, brouhaha, buzz, cackle, celebrate, chant, charivari, chirm, chirp, clamor, clangor, clap, clatter, commotion, coo, crack, cracking, crash, crashing, crescendo, crow, cry, cry out, deafen, declaim, deep, denounce, din, discord, donnybrook, drawl, dread rattling thunder, drunken brawl, dustup, echo, exclaim, execrate, explode, explosion, fill the air, flap, flute, fracas, free-for-all, fulminate against, fulmination, gasp, growl, growling, grumble, grumbling, grunt, hell broke loose, herald, herald abroad, hiss, howl, hubbub, hue and cry, hullabaloo, intimidate, jangle, keen, lilt, loud noise, menace, mumble, murmur, mutter, noise, noise and shouting, outcry, pandemonium, pant, peal, peal of thunder, pealing, pipe, proclaim, promulgate, racket, rail at, rattle, rattle the windows, reboation, rebound, reecho, rend the air, rend the ears, resound, resounding, reverberate, reverberation, rhubarb, ring, rise, roar, roaring, rock the sky, roll, row, ruckus, ruction, rumble, rumbling, rumpus, scream, screech, shindy, shivaree, shout, shriek, sibilate, sigh, sing, snap, snarl, snort, sob, split the eardrums, split the ears, squall, squawk, squeal, startle the echoes, stun, surge, swear at, swell, threaten, thunder forth, thunderclap, thundercrack, thundering, thunderpeal, thundershower, thundersquall, thunderstorm, thunderstroke, tintamarre, trumpet, trumpet forth, tumult, twang, uproar, wail, warble, whine, whisper, yap, yawp, yell, yelp