lightning

lightning — noun

1. the bright streak of light that briefly lights up the sky during a storm, caused

1.nounA2
Definition

the bright streak of light that briefly lights up the sky during a storm, caused by large electrical forces travelling inside storm clouds or between a cloud and the ground below.

Example

The lightning lit up the garden, so Niran could see the tomato plants clearly.

lightning lit up [place] — shows sudden illumination

A bolt of lightning struck the old church tower last night during the storm.

bolt of lightning — common noun collocation

Common collocations
  • flash of lightning
  • bolt of lightning
  • lightning strike
  • lightning flashes
  • lightning hits
  • lightning lights up
  • lightning storm
Synonyms
  • bolt

    refers to a single visible discharge of lightning, often shaped like a line

  • flash

    emphasises the sudden bright light rather than the electrical discharge itself

  • thunderbolt

    a lightning bolt with thunder; less common in everyday speech

Grammar Patterns

a flash/bolt/strike of lightning

lightning + verb (strikes, flashes)

Common Mistakes

The lightning striked the tree.
The lightning struck the tree.
'strike' is an irregular verb; the past tense is 'struck', not 'striked'.
There were many lightnings during the night.
There was a lot of lightning during the night.
'lightning' is uncountable; use 'a lot of lightning' or 'several flashes of lightning'.
Idioms

lightning never strikes (in the same place) twice

idiom

It is unlikely that the same bad thing will happen again in the same situation or to the same person.

Mia lost her wallet yesterday, but lightning never strikes twice, so she is not worried.

Do you think another earthquake will hit this town? Lightning never strikes twice, right?

like (greased) lightning

idiom

Extremely quickly.

The cat darted across the yard like greased lightning.

When the bell rang, the children ran out of the classroom like lightning.

lightning — adjective

lightning — verb

Word family

  • lighten
    verbB2
  • lightning rod
    nounB2
  • lightning bug
    nounA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe the same weather phenomenon but focus on different aspects. Lightning is the general term for the visible electrical discharge in the sky — the most natural word in everyday weather talk ('a storm with lots of lightning'). A bolt (of lightning) refers to a single, visible discharge, often shaped like a jagged line; it emphasises the strike hitting something ('a bolt hit the house'). Flash (of lightning) emphasises the sudden, brief burst of light rather than the electrical path; it works well for describing what you see ('a bright flash lit up the room'). Thunderbolt is less common today and often carries a dramatic or old-fashioned tone, suggesting a single, powerful strike with accompanying thunder ('he was struck by a thunderbolt'). For general weather description, stick with lightning; choose bolt when a specific strike hits something, and flash when focusing on the visual effect.

lightning ↗bolt ↗flash ↗thunderbolt ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • flash of lightning
  • bolt of lightning
  • stroke of lightning
  • like lightning

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanGermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'lightning' comes from Old English 'līhting', which originally meant 'the act of making light' — a verbal noun formed from 'lēoht' (light, brightness). In early English, people used 'lightening' (spelled -en-) to describe the sky growing bright during a storm, and over time the spelling 'lightning' became the standard noun for the electrical flash itself. The same ancient root 'leuk-' (light, brightness) gave us 'light', 'lunar', and 'illuminate'. The storm-related meaning has been in use since at least the 14th century.