Library / English Dictionary

THUNDER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Street names for heroin

Synonyms:

big H; hell dust; nose drops; scag; skag; smack; thunder

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("thunder" is a kind of...):

diacetylmorphine; heroin (a narcotic that is considered a hard drug; a highly addictive morphine derivative; intravenous injection provides the fastest and most intense rush)

Domain usage:

street name (slang for something (especially for an illegal drug))

Sense 2

Meaning:

A deep prolonged loud noise

Synonyms:

boom; roar; roaring; thunder

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("thunder" is a kind of...):

noise (sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound))

Derivation:

thunder (utter words loudly and forcefully)

thunder (to make or produce a loud noise)

thunder (move fast, noisily, and heavily)

thunderous (loud enough to cause (temporary) hearing loss)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A booming or crashing noise caused by air expanding along the path of a bolt of lightning

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("thunder" is a kind of...):

noise (sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "thunder"):

thunderclap (a single sharp crash of thunder)

Derivation:

thunder (be the case that thunder is being heard)

thundery (accompanied with thunder)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Utter words loudly and forcefully

Example:

'Get out of here,' he roared

Synonyms:

roar; thunder

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "thunder" is one way to...):

shout (utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

thunder (a deep prolonged loud noise)

Sense 2

Meaning:

To make or produce a loud noise

Example:

The engine roared as the driver pushed the car to full throttle

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "thunder" is one way to...):

howl; roar (make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence example:

The cars thunder down the avenue

Derivation:

thunder (a deep prolonged loud noise)

thunderer (a noisemaker that makes a sound like thunder)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Move fast, noisily, and heavily

Example:

The bus thundered down the road

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "thunder" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sentence examples:

Cars thunder in the streets

The streets thunder with cars

Derivation:

thunder (a deep prolonged loud noise)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be the case that thunder is being heard

Example:

Whenever it thunders, my dog crawls under the bed

Synonyms:

boom; thunder

Classified under:

Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering

"Thunder" entails doing...:

storm (blow hard)

Sentence frame:

It is ----ing

Sentence example:

It was thundering all day long

Derivation:

thunder (a booming or crashing noise caused by air expanding along the path of a bolt of lightning)

Credits

 Context examples: 

They command, here he pointed up to heaven, the thunder and the lightning.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Yet, in all the hurry of my thoughts, wild running with the thundering sea,—the storm, and my uneasiness regarding Ham were always in the fore-ground.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

A wind fresh from Europe blew over the ocean and rushed through the open casement: the storm broke, streamed, thundered, blazed, and the air grew pure.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

There was much of darkness and silence, broken only by the storms and the thunder on the beach of the freezing surf.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The Lion became quite angry at the laughter caused by the Scarecrow's mishap, and giving a loud roar that echoed like thunder, he dashed up the hill.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

The human ear can detect a wide range of frequencies, from the low rumbles of distant thunder to the high-pitched whine of a mosquito.

(Hearing different frequencies, NIH)

If you have ever heard a clap of thunder, the boom of fireworks, or the roar of a supersonic jet, you already know how shock waves sound.

(Seeing Shock Waves, EARTH OBSERVATORY)

A few seconds later a roar like thunder burst upon our ears, and as the smoke thinned away there was no sign left of the Gloria Scott.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And all the heavens became black with stormy clouds, and the lightnings played, and the thunders rolled; and you might have seen in the sea great black waves, swelling up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Mars, still in your house of prestigious career victory, will send a powerful beam to the full moon of February 8-9 from your eleventh house of community, and people who love your work will give you thundering applause.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)