thunderstorm

IPA/ˈθʌndəstɔːm/
KK[θˈʌndɚstˌɔrm]IPA/ˈθʌndərstɔːrm/

thunderstorm — noun

  • thunderstormsingular
  • thunderstormsplural

1. a weather event in which the sky produces loud crashing sounds called thunder an

1.nounA2
Definition

a weather event in which the sky produces loud crashing sounds called thunder and sudden flashes of light called lightning, usually together with heavy rain

Example

Last night's thunderstorm was so loud it woke Defne up at three in the morning.

Apinya checked the weather app and saw a thunderstorm warning for the afternoon.

collocation: thunderstorm warning

Common collocations
  • heavy thunderstorm
  • severe thunderstorm
  • thunderstorm warning
  • thunderstorm watch
  • during a thunderstorm
  • thunderstorm passed
  • thunderstorm approached
Synonyms
  • electrical storm

    a more formal or scientific term for the same weather event; less common in everyday speech

  • tempest

    a literary or old-fashioned word for a violent storm with wind, rain, thunder, and lightning; not used in daily conversation

Grammar Patterns

a thunderstorm

the thunderstorm

thunderstorms

Usage Note

Thunderstorm is a countable noun. A single event is a thunderstorm, and multiple events are thunderstorms. Do not confuse thunderstorm with thunder (the sound alone) or lightning (the flash alone) — a thunderstorm includes both.

Common Mistakes

We had a loud thunder last night.
We had a loud thunderstorm last night.
thunder is the sound; a thunderstorm is the whole weather event that includes thunder.
There was thunderstorm yesterday.
There was a thunderstorm yesterday.
thunderstorm is countable and needs a determiner in the singular.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe weather events, but they differ in scope and intensity. A thunderstorm specifically includes thunder and lightning, while storm is a broader term that covers any violent weather (rain, snow, wind, sand). A downpour is only heavy rain — there is no thunder or lightning. Tempest is an old-fashioned, literary word for a severe storm with strong winds and rain, often used in poetry or stories. In daily conversation, storm and thunderstorm are the most common. Example: 'We had a thunderstorm last night, so the power went out' vs. 'It was just a downpour — no thunder at all.'

thunderstorm ↗storm ↗downpour ↗tempest ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • thunderstorm warning
  • thunderstorm watch
  • thunderstorm cloud
  • thunderstorm season

Phrases

  • a thunderstorm is coming
  • a thunderstorm passed over
  • caught in a thunderstorm

Prepositions

  • during a thunderstorm
  • in a thunderstorm
  • after the thunderstorm
  • before the thunderstorm

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

Thunderstorm is a compound word made by joining thunder (the loud sound that follows a flash of lightning) and storm (a violent weather event with strong wind and rain). Thunder comes from Old English þunor, related to the god Thor in Germanic mythology. Storm comes from Old English storm. The combination thunderstorm has been used in English since the 1500s to describe a storm that brings both thunder and lightning together.