thundercloud

noun

thun·​der·​cloud ˈthən-dər-ˌklau̇d How to pronounce thundercloud (audio)
: a cloud charged with electricity and producing lightning and thunder

Examples of thundercloud in a Sentence

We watched the gathering thunderclouds.
Recent Examples on the Web At a later point in the film, two characters’ unsettling argument is echoed by rumbling thunderclouds. EW.com, 17 Nov. 2023 Then, in December 1945, after postwar service in Palestine, his father returns home, arriving on the local platform in a thundercloud of engine smoke. Colin Thubron, The New York Review of Books, 19 Jan. 2023 The centerpiece of nearly all big thunderstorms is a main, monster-size thundercloud, perhaps 40,000 or 50,000 feet from base to top. Kathryn Phillips, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Their meeting point can be on Earth or where opposite charges have gathered inside a thundercloud. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 27 June 2023 When one of the planes reaches the base of a threatening thundercloud, the pilot flips a switch to release plumes of microscopic silver iodide particles. Kathryn Phillips, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 As thunderclouds bunch to the south, a pair of youthful Panamanian pilots appear. Nina Burleigh, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2024 More warm, moist air rises, condensing into thunderclouds that release heat. Matt Simon, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2023 The birds and flowers are emblems of a tender heart, while the armory of spiky weapons—a spear and a bow on her calves, the thunderclouds of Zeus on her shoulder—are badges of a fighting spirit. Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thundercloud.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thundercloud was in 1697

Dictionary Entries Near thundercloud

Cite this Entry

“Thundercloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thundercloud. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thundercloud

noun
thun·​der·​cloud -ˌklau̇d How to pronounce thundercloud (audio)
: a dark storm cloud that produces lightning and thunder
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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