as in to surprise
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
everyone was thunderstruck when she quit her job without warning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thunderstrike
Verb
-
Here are the 14 most shocking snubs and surprises from the 2025 Academy Awards shortlist.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2025 -
The upside earnings surprised many, and consequently, the stock popped.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Costco continues to amaze both with price and with entertainment and all my Costco’s are a blast to shop at.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Instead, the boy was creating short films using action figures, adding voice-over narration, and displaying a level of creativity that amazed his mother.—
J.M. Banks,
Kansas City Star,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The revelation shocks everyone on the trip, leading Praveena to pack her bags and Juliana to break up with Yuri.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
18 Jan. 2025
-
It’s been 150 years since the Impressionists shocked Paris with their rebellious Société Anonyme show.—
Josephine Sedgwick,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Director Mohammad Rasoulof tracks social and moral collapse with the kind of unnerving calm and visual precision that made the Iranian New Wave so striking when Abbas Kiarostami’s Through the Olive Trees and Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s A Moment of Innocence first stunned the film world in the 1990s.—
Armond White,
National Review,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Legal Challenges Image Legal scholars and immigration advocates said on Tuesday that they were stunned by the breadth of the order.—
Michael D. Shear,
New York Times,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The 72-year-old was startled awake about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday by his landlord banging on his door.—
Ben Poston,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2025
-
The warning prompted a flood of social media posts from residents startled awake by emergency alerts.—
Stephan Pechdimaldji,
Newsweek,
15 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Proof of that legacy comes with D’Angelo, Chaka Khan, George Clinton, Terry Lewis and Living Colour’s Vernon Reid attesting to the Family Stone’s massive popularity at the time over footage of the group rocking the stage.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Other performers were able to camp it up, in costume to cover ‘90s hits by Cher or the Spice Girls, but rocking it out with Carlile and the Hanseroth Twins headbanging behind her, Amanfu sounded as serious as a heart attack.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Many owners have been astonished to see just how calm and well-behaved their pup is when there's no one else at home.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
-
All of us were astonished by the scene outside the window: Flames from the not-too-distant mountains had climbed down almost to the valley floor.—
Francine Kiefer,
The Christian Science Monitor,
9 Jan. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Thesaurus Entries Near thunderstrike
Cite this Entry
“Thunderstrike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thunderstrike. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share