thunder

B1 Topic:Weather & Climate

US /ˈθʌndɚ/ UK /ˈθʌndə/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like sunder /θ/ vs /s/

Freq #2551

Meanings

1

noun
The loud rumbling or crashing sound that follows a flash of lightning.

The children were frightened by the loud thunder.
2

verb
To make a very loud, deep noise.

The waterfall thundered into the river below.
3

verb
To move quickly with a loud, heavy noise.

The horses thundered across the field.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms thunderedthunderingthunders

Derived forms outthunderrethunderthunder-drumthunder-plantthunder-plumpthunder-stickthunder-thighedthunder-wheelthunderationthunderbirdthunderblastthunderbolt

Related forms lightningthundering

Appears in

Idioms (1)

See all

steal someone's thunder
to take attention away from someone's achievement by doing or announcing the same thing first

Etymology

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 Taran…

*(s)tenh₂- Proto-Indo-European thunder Middle English þunor Old English *þunr Proto-West Germanic *þunraz Proto-Germanic *(s)ten- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Weather & Climate

External links

# thunder

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈθʌndɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈθʌndə/
**Frequency rank:** 2551

## Meanings
1. The loud rumbling or crashing sound that follows a flash of lightning.
2. To make a very loud, deep noise.
3. To move quickly with a loud, heavy noise.

## Examples
- The children were frightened by the loud thunder.
- The waterfall thundered into the river below.
- The horses thundered across the field.

## Derived Forms
- outthunder
- rethunder
- thunder-drum
- thunder-plant
- thunder-plump
- thunder-stick
- thunder-thighed
- thunder-wheel
- thunderation
- thunderbird
- thunderblast
- thunderbolt

## Related Forms
- lightning
- thundering

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)tenh₂-
- Root: thunder
- Root: þunor
- Root: *þunr
- Root: *þunraz
- Root: *(s)ten-

## Etymology
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 Taran…

## AI Etymology
Thunder is 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. In present-day use, it can mean the loud rumbling or crashing sound that follows a flash of lightning, or to make a very loud, deep noise.

## Topics
- Weather & Climate

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