thunderstrike

verb

thun·der·strike ˈthən-dər-ˌstrīk

thunderstruck ˈthən-dər-ˌstrək

; thunderstruck also thunderstricken ˈthən-dər-ˌstri-kən

; thunderstriking ˈthən-dər-ˌstrī-kiŋ

; thunderstrikes

: to strike with sudden and usually great wonder or surprise : astonish

—used in the passive

was thunderstruck at the news

archaic : to strike by or as if by lightning

… wake, man, ere God thunderstrike Mayence …—

Robert Browning

everyone was thunderstruck when she quit her job without warning

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of thunderstrike was in 1613

See more words from the same year

Style

“Thunderstrike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thunderstrike. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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