thunderbolt

noun

thun·​der·​bolt ˈthən-dər-ˌbōlt How to pronounce thunderbolt (audio)
1
a
: a single discharge of lightning with the accompanying thunder
b
: an imaginary elongated mass cast as a missile to earth in the lightning flash
2
a
: a person or thing that resembles lightning in suddenness, effectiveness, or destructive power
b
: a vehement threat or censure

Examples of thunderbolt in a Sentence

He was struck dead by a thunderbolt.
Recent Examples on the Web The Republican governor’s unexpected clemency for Reid arrived like a thunderbolt on Friday. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Will tonight be a total misfire, a thunderbolt of controversy, or merely mediocre? Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024 There’s a lot more to this saga than a missing thunderbolt. Christian Holub, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2023 The Fall of the Titans depicts a crucial moment from the tale told by the Latin poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses in which the god Jupiter throws his thunderbolts to destroy the titans, causing buildings to crumble and leaving desperate titans in despair. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2024 Those early encounters landed like a thunderbolt among the officers in Zaluzhny’s command center, searing a question in their minds: Was the strategy doomed? Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023 The college football gods seemed to zap the unbeaten Bruins with a thunderbolt of misery based on what would happen during the next 25 years. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 Changes on the outside, such as stripping away a thunderbolt port. Ewan Spence, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 Raining basketballs, strobe lights, rotating school hallways, CGI thunderbolts? Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thunderbolt.' 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

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of thunderbolt was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near thunderbolt

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

thunderbolt

noun
thun·​der·​bolt ˈthən-dər-ˌbōlt How to pronounce thunderbolt (audio)
: a flash of lightning and the thunder that follows it

More from Merriam-Webster on thunderbolt

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