as in to surprise
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
everyone was thunderstruck when she quit her job without warning
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thunderstrike
Verb
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Han isn’t surprised that global firms are now embracing Chinese robotaxis.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025 -
The tight race has surprised some in the traditionally blue state, which has had a Democratic governor for the past eight years and a legislature controlled by Democrats for even longer.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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What amazes her is how someone chose to save these items and hang on to them for future generations.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
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This isn’t the first time a dog has amazed the internet with spinal walking.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Images of Iraqi detainees being stripped naked and abused, published by the media, shocked the world.—
Ben Wedeman,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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The growing pile of bad news has done little to shock the stock market, which is at near-record highs, but that’s largely because it’s been buoyed in part by AI megacaps.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Annie Palmer,Frank Holland,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Elkins was stunned by how quickly the video gained traction.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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On November 3, Paddington’s press tour brought him to the BBC, where journalist David Sillito was stunned into silence after seeing the bear in the flesh fur.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Across America, Halloween spending is expected to reach record levels this year, including large crowds waiting for their chance to be chased, startled and screamed at.—
Isabel Rosales,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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White disappears completely into the role without skirting parody, portraying the exhausted hitmaker as startled by his own numbness, blanked out and unsure of what to do next.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In her work, Warner has dispelled myths such as the one that indigenous people, astonished by modern technologies, believed that cameras stole their souls.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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He was astonished and renewed by that quiet.—
Stephen Trimble,
Denver Post,
20 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Thunderstrike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thunderstrike. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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