thunderclap en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈθʌndɚˌklæp/ (General-American)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From thunder + clap.
Meanings
-
A sudden, loud thunder caused by a nearby lightning strike; a shock of thunder, as opposed to a reverberating rumble.
Thunderclaps that make them quake.
1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:Ile home, and ſtarue, this croſſe, this peeuiſh hap, / Strikes dead my ſpirits like a thunderclap.
1600 (date written), [John Marston], Iacke Drums Entertainment: Or The Comedie of Pasquill and Katherine. […], London: […] [Thomas Creede] for Richard Oliue [i.e., Oliff], […], published 1601, →OCLC, Act II, signature D2, verso:When suddenly the thunderclap was heard.
1685, John Dryden, Threnodia Augustalis:
- (informal) A very loud fart.
-
(figuratively) Something that makes a big, dramatic impact.
A 21-Valyrian steel dagger salute to Paddy Considine, who makes his exit from House Of The Dragon this week with a thunderclap of a performance. “The Lord of the Tides” is the swan song for his King Viserys I Targaryen, a well-intentioned but indecisive man who waited until the very last day of his life to flex his royal might.
2022 October 10, Jenna Scherer, “House Of The Dragon drops its best episode yet”, in AV Club:
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Synonym of thunder word.
[…] the thunderclaps, and advised Cage on their meaning. Cage considered composing new star-map music, in which microphones attached to the throats of the chorus members would make their singing of Joyce's verbal thunderclaps sound like […]
2012, Kenneth Silverman, Begin Again: A Biography of John Cage, page 292:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| thunderclaps | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (26)
ro tunet (sudden thunder) · de Donnerschlag (sudden thunder) · cmn 霹靂 /霹雳 (sudden thunder) · cy taran (sudden thunder) · mk грмотевица (sudden thunder) · ki irurumĩ (sudden thunder) · enm clappe (sudden thunder) · nrf coup d'ôrage (sudden thunder) · fi ukkosenjyrähdys (sudden thunder) · fr coup de tonnerre (sudden thunder) · gl trebón (sudden thunder) · ja 迅雷 (sudden thunder) · pl grom (sudden thunder) · cy trwst (sudden thunder) · gl bruio (sudden thunder) · pl grzmot (sudden thunder) · mk татнеж (sudden thunder) · mi tētere (sudden thunder) · gl tronido (sudden thunder) · ru уда́р грома (sudden thunder) · oc tronada (sudden thunder) · cy twrf (sudden thunder) · cmn 迅雷 (sudden thunder) · gl troo (sudden thunder) · gl trouso (sudden thunder) · hi वज्रपात (sudden thunder)