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thundercloud

American  
[thuhn-der-kloud] / ˈθʌn dərˌklaʊd /
Or thunderclouds

noun

  1. cumulonimbus.

thundercloud British  
/ ˈθʌndəˌklaʊd /

noun

  1. a towering electrically charged cumulonimbus cloud associated with thunderstorms

  2. anything that is threatening

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
thundercloud Scientific  
/ thŭn′dər-kloud′ /

  1. See cumulonimbus

Etymology

Origin of thundercloud

First recorded in 1690–1700; thunder + cloud

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.

A honeybee swarm has as much electric charge as a thundercloud, and the insects’ mass movements in the atmosphere might even have some influence on the weather.

From Scientific American • Sep. 13, 2023

A thundercloud of media interest has hung over claims of a strained brotherly relationship, now conducted from different sides of the Atlantic.

From BBC • Sep. 14, 2022

A single unexpected bolt from a rogue thundercloud can be just as deadly to an individual, or as damaging to a property, as hundreds from a complex of storms.

From Washington Post • Apr. 19, 2022

The General Assembly is unfolding this week under a thundercloud of deep pessimism.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2021

A rockface towered above them, grey as a thundercloud.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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.