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# thunderbolt

noun (a thunderbolt, thunderbolts)

«thunderbolt» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A flash of lightning together with a crash of thunder. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#m1)
2. Something sudden and shocking: the news came like a thunderbolt. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#m2)
3. (myths) A bolt of lightning thrown as a weapon by a god, such as Zeus in Greek myths or Thor in Norse myths. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#m3)

### In the lessons

Science: lightning is a giant spark of electricity; thunder is the sound it makes. Safety: in a storm stay indoors and away from tall trees. Myths: Zeus hurls thunderbolts. Stories: «like a thunderbolt» shows a big surprise.

### Examples

- A thunderbolt struck the old oak. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#x1)
- Zeus threw thunderbolts from Mount Olympus. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#x2)
- The news hit us like a thunderbolt. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#x3)
- Thor's hammer made thunder and lightning. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#x4)
- The thunderbolt lit up the whole sky. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#x5)
- Toad's arrest came like a thunderbolt to his friends. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#x6)
- The Caliph's commandment fell upon me like a thunderbolt. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/#x7)

### Note

Compound: thunder + bolt. Real lightning is not a solid object; «bolt» is just a picture. Myth: lightning never strikes the same place twice — false; tall buildings are struck many times.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «thunderbolt» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/thunderbolt/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«thunderbolt» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/thunderbolt.html) on Mova free.