thunderstrike

verb

ˈthən-dər-ˌstrīk How to pronounce thunderstrike (audio)
Definition of thunderstrikenext
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
  1. surprise
  2. amaze
  3. shock
  4. stun
  5. startle
  6. astonish
Verb
  • Some Republicans aren’t surprised by the backseat role Musk has taken.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Viewers will be surprised by how many clues are in the first two episodes, Backo explains.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of surprise
Verb
  • Larry remarks, amazed all these years later by this odd before-they-were-stars encounter.
    — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • What amazes me is there seems to be a wide swath of Michiganders who don’t seem to mind being lied to.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of amaze
Verb
  • No matter how one views the death penalty, the grisly details of this tragic incident should — to use a phrase coined by Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter — shock the conscience.
    — Dr. Jacob Appel, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The Israeli film, set in 1987, centers on a 12-year-old boy, Boaz, played by Yair Mazor, who, while preparing for his bar mitzvah, is shocked to witness his father (Assi Cohen) having sex in a swimming pool locker room.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shock
Verb
  • Haslet Eaton stuns Keller Central Haslet Eaton upset Keller Central on Thursday, earning a 28-27 victory in a thriller.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Eddie Jurado, the general manager at Miss B’s Coconut Club, told NBC San Diego that he and other staff members had been stunned to learn of Williams’ true identity.
    — Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of stun
Verb
  • However, startled by the activation of the security system, the suspect fled the scene without stealing any loot.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • To build a stealthy ocean-monitoring platform for the Office of Naval Research, Professor Shepherd needed a propulsion system that would not startle marine life.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of startle
Verb
  • Regardless, attention is the tool by which artificial neural networks access and convey meaning, association, and context, often well enough to astonish us with their fluency.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Less than a month after astonishing the world with its solution to the long-standing Navier-Stokes problem, OpenAI has released 722 maths papers, proving or disproving problems across numerous fields from algebraic geometry to number theory.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of astonish
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

thunderstorms
thunderstrike
thunderstrikes
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Cite this Entry

“Thunderstrike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thunderstrike. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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