Thunder
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble (brontide). The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In turn, this expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave, similar to a sonic boom, which produces the sound of thunder, often referred to as a clap, crack, or peal of thunder. The distance of the lightning can be calculated by the listener based on the time interval from when the lightning is seen to when the sound is heard.
Read more about Thunder.
More definitions of "thunder":
- (verb): Utter words loudly and forcefully.
Synonyms: roar
- (verb): Move fast, noisily, and heavily.
Example: "The bus thundered down the road"
- (noun): A booming or crashing noise caused by air expanding along the path of a bolt of lightning.
- (verb): Be the case that thunder is being heard.
Synonyms: boom
- (verb): To make or produce a loud noise.
Example: "The river thundered below"; "The engine roared as the driver pushed the car to full throttle"
Famous quotes containing the word thunder:
“Small, black, as flies hanging in heat, the Boys,
Until the distance throws them forth, their hum
Bulges to thunder held by calf and thigh.”
—Thom Gunn (b. 1929)
“So gladly, from the songs of modern speech
Men turn, and see the stars, and feel the free
Shrill wind beyond the close of heavy flowers,
And through the music of the languid hours,
They hear like ocean on a western beach
The surge and thunder of the Odyssey.”
—Andrew Lang (1844–1912)