thunderclap
Americannoun
-
a crash of thunder.
-
something resembling a thunderclap, as in loudness or unexpectedness.
noun
-
a loud outburst of thunder
-
something as violent or unexpected as a clap of thunder
Etymology
Origin of thunderclap
First recorded in 1350–1400, thunderclap is from Middle English thonder clappe. See thunder, clap 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dalton shouts with a thunderclap like he’s the Incredible Hulk.
From Literature
![]()
Jack Dempsey was a human thunderclap, but hardly alone in that.
From BBC
"On paper, this was another thunderclap quarter. And yet the stock dipped. The market is no longer pricing growth. It is pricing perpetuity."
From Barron's
The producers of which had the good sense to stream worldwide for all of us outside the nation’s capital who wanted to experience the thunderclap of Page’s Lear.
From Los Angeles Times
The voices still, followed by explosions of noise—louder than a tree snapping, softer than a thunderclap.
From Literature
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.