thundering

thundering — noun

1. a deep, heavy rumbling sound that travels over a long distance, like the noise p

1.nounB2
Definition

a deep, heavy rumbling sound that travels over a long distance, like the noise produced by a powerful natural force or a large moving object

Example

The thundering of the waterfall could be heard from half a mile away.

thundering of + natural source (waterfall, rain)

Aoi woke up to the thundering of heavy rain on the iron roof.

Common collocations
  • the thundering of
  • thundering of hooves
  • thundering of drums
Synonyms
  • rumble

    a deeper, more continuous low sound; less intense than thundering

  • boom

    a louder, more explosive single sound, rather than a sustained rumbling

  • roar

    a very loud, prolonged sound with a harsher quality, often from animals or engines

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the thundering of [something]

Usage Note

Typically used with 'the' and 'of' to specify the source of the sound ('the thundering of [something]'). Rarely used in plural form.

Common Mistakes

I heard a thundering in the sky.
I heard thundering in the sky.
As a noun, 'thundering' is uncountable and does not take the indefinite article 'a'.

thundering — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

Thundering, tremendous, resounding, and monumental can all describe something remarkable, but they differ in register and typical context. Thundering suggests raw power and dramatic impact, often paired with success, failure, defeat, or applause — events that feel overwhelming in force. Tremendous is more common in everyday speech and focuses on size or degree ('a tremendous amount of work'). Resounding emphasises that an effect is widely noticed, pairing almost exclusively with success, victory, defeat, applause, or silence. Monumental carries a sense of historical or lasting importance ('a monumental achievement'). For example, an election result could be a thundering victory (emphasising overwhelming force) or a resounding victory (emphasising decisive public response), but a vast amount of money is a tremendous sum, not a thundering one.

thundering ↗tremendous ↗resoundingmonumental

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a thundering success
  • a thundering failure
  • the thundering of

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Thundering is formed from the noun thunder (the loud noise that follows lightning during a storm) plus the suffix -ing. The word thunder comes from Old English þunor, which is related to the Latin tonare (to thunder) and the Proto-Germanic *thunraz. The adjective sense meaning 'very loud' has been in use since the 1300s, and the figurative sense 'very big or impressive' developed by the late 1800s.