thunderbolt
noun
thun·der·bolt ˈthən-dər-ˌbōlt 
1
a
: a single discharge of lightning with the accompanying thunder
b
: an imaginary elongated mass cast as a missile to earth in the lightning flash
2
a
: a person or thing that resembles lightning in suddenness, effectiveness, or destructive power
b
: a vehement threat or censure
Example Sentences
He was struck dead by a thunderbolt.
Recent Examples on the Web Launching a thunderbolt is an attention-getter, while the transformation of a human projection into an animal avatar can be disconcerting. 
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2022 Testimony on Tuesday by Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, was a thunderbolt placed in the hands of the House select committee investigating the pro-Trump riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Isaac Stanley-becker, Washington Post, 29 June 2022 And there might be other reasons why Valkyrie has Zeus’s thunderbolt in Thor 4 trailer 2. Chris Smith, BGR, 30 May 2022 Gil’s initial response to this thunderbolt — the revelation of an unknown sibling — is a blend of disbelief and hostility. Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2022 The news that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday, at the age of 67, during a campaign rally came like a thunderbolt. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 8 July 2022 On That Other Level, a seething thunderbolt of an album that established the group as an evil, southern N.W.A.. Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 28 June 2022 In the new trailer for the movie, both Zeus and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) can be seen wielding Zeus' trademark weapon, the thunderbolt, which in the movie is depicted as looking like it is forged from metal. Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 14 June 2022 That the Padres were able to poach Oakland’s career leader in managerial victories was a thunderbolt in the moment last October, and the first signal that the A’s were about to embark on another rebuilding project. New York Times, 7 June 2022 See More
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2022 Testimony on Tuesday by Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, was a thunderbolt placed in the hands of the House select committee investigating the pro-Trump riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Isaac Stanley-becker, Washington Post, 29 June 2022 And there might be other reasons why Valkyrie has Zeus’s thunderbolt in Thor 4 trailer 2. Chris Smith, BGR, 30 May 2022 Gil’s initial response to this thunderbolt — the revelation of an unknown sibling — is a blend of disbelief and hostility. Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2022 The news that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday, at the age of 67, during a campaign rally came like a thunderbolt. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 8 July 2022 On That Other Level, a seething thunderbolt of an album that established the group as an evil, southern N.W.A.. Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 28 June 2022 In the new trailer for the movie, both Zeus and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) can be seen wielding Zeus' trademark weapon, the thunderbolt, which in the movie is depicted as looking like it is forged from metal. Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 14 June 2022 That the Padres were able to poach Oakland’s career leader in managerial victories was a thunderbolt in the moment last October, and the first signal that the A’s were about to embark on another rebuilding project. New York Times, 7 June 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
thunderbolt
noun
thun·der·bolt ˈthən-dər-ˌbōlt
: a flash of lightning and the thunder that follows it