thunder

verb

Definition of thundernext
1
as in to roar
to make a long loud deep noise or cry as we got closer, the waterfall thundered louder and louder

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shout
to speak so as to be heard at a distance a hotheaded man who was always thundering about the crooks and idiots running the government

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of thunder Returning for its fourth installment, PierPlay took over a portion of the iconic Santa Monica Pier, adding the vibes of thundering dance music to a truly unique community event. — Danny Klein, SPIN, 26 June 2026 While the Los Angeles Philharmonic thundered apocalyptically, members of Toimii ran up and down the aisles of the Libbey Bowl, Ojai’s main venue, to bang on car parts and strike gongs that were hanging from trees. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 The celebration opened with piercing fifes and thundering drums from the Young Patriots Fife & Drum Corps from Pleasanton, as a nod to America's quincentennial. — Brian Hackney, CBS News, 30 June 2026 Hakan Akgun / Anadolu via Getty Images The Houston stadium exploded with thundering applause, fans in blue jerseys and cheeks painted with the Cape Verdean flag cheering with joy. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for thunder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thunder
  1. roar
  2. shout
  3. growl
  4. yell
  5. cry
Verb
  • San Francisco serves as a prime example of how the roaring AI industry is helping drive economic growth more broadly, but masking the economic inequality of lower-and-middle-income families.
    — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • Hale pointed toward the sky and urged them to look up as three military jets roared above the crowd.
    — Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of roar
Verb
  • One day while sitting on the porch, Sarah appeared out of nowhere, running towards them, shouting for them.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 3 July 2026
  • The crew and the two witnesses said one of the three men got out with a dog and then moved aggressively towards the crew while shouting racial slurs targeted at the photographer.
    — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Definition of shout
Verb
  • This could include sniffing around more than usual or barking and growling at odd places like piles of leaves.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 3 July 2026
  • Could the growling creature be responsible for the gouges by Zampanò’s dead body?
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 June 2026
Definition of growl
Verb
  • Other people at the scene can be heard yelling that the cash was not evidence and did not belong to the officer.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • Interviews with the pilots, flight attendants, and fellow passengers revealed Cook had gotten up during takeoff and then ran forward while yelling, per the affidavit.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Definition of yell
Verb
  • Videos from these gatherings showing chanting crowds beneath concert lights, audience members crying, hugging strangers and dancing barefoot have racked up millions of views online.
    — Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • Mexico lost that game on penalties but Aguirre was not crying because of his red card or the result.
    — Colin Millar, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of cry

Browse Nearby Words

thumps
thunder
thunderclap
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thunder. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on thunder

Nglish: Translation of thunder for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thunder

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tacit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All