thunder
- Top 5000
Sense 1
- noun
- B1
the loud deep noise that you hear in the sky after a flash of lightning
The thunder woke the baby just after midnight.
We counted the seconds between the lightning and the thunder.
Our dog hides under the bed whenever he hears thunder.
Distant thunder rolled across the valley as we packed up.
Common collocations: a clap of thunder · a rumble of thunder · thunder and lightning · distant thunder · thunder rolls
Part of: Weather
Sense 2 · less common
- verb
- B2
to make the loud deep noise that comes after lightning, or a noise very much like it
It thundered all evening, but no rain ever came.
The train thundered past the platform without slowing down.
It started to thunder while we were still on the lake.
Common collocations: it thundered · thunder past · thunder along · thunder overhead
Part of: Weather