/ ˈθʌndə(r); NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun [ U ]
1.
the loud noise that you hear after a flash of lightning , during a storm :
the rumble of distant thunder
a clap / crash / roll of thunder
Thunder crashed in the sky.
2.
a loud noise like thunder :
the thunder of hooves
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IDIOMS
see face noun , steal verb
■ verb
1.
[ v ] when it thunders , there is a loud noise in the sky during a storm
2.
[ v ] to make a very loud deep noise
SYN roar :
A voice thundered in my ear.
thundering traffic
3.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] to move very fast and with a loud deep noise
SYN roar :
Heavy trucks kept thundering past.
4.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] ( informal ) to make sth move somewhere very fast :
Figo thundered the ball past the goalie.
5.
( literary ) to shout, complain, etc. very loudly and angrily :
[ v ]
He thundered against the evils of television.
[ v speech ]
'Sit still!' she thundered.
[also vn ]
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English thunor (noun), thunrian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch donder and German Donner (noun), from an Indo-European root shared by Latin tonare to thunder.