French Conversation · Level 87
60 words
French word
tonitruer
Pronunciation
IPA/tonitʁɥe/
Meaning
- verbthunder
Example
On entend tonitruer au loin.
You can hear thunder in the distance.
More examples
La radio tonitruait si fort que je n'ai pas pu dormir.
The radio was thundering so loudly that I couldn't sleep.
Core concept
A thunderous sound bursts through a space and commands everyone's attention.
Similar words
retentir: To ring out with great force and volume.
résonner: To resonate through a wide area with sustained vibrations.
gronder: To rumble with a deep and heavy sound.
tonner: To make a violent, booming noise.
Definition in French
Retentir bruyamment dans un lieu, et au figuré caractériser une voix ou une déclaration d'une forte intensité.
Word origin
French tonitruer comes from Latin tonitruare, based on tonitrus, "thunder," and preserves the idea of thunder in descriptions of sound and speech.
Usage tips
- Tonitruer is literary or emphatic; everyday French more often uses résonner, gronder, or crier, depending on the context.
Other meanings
- roarverb
- thunder at ___verb
Opposites
- murmurermurmurverb
- se tairebe silentverb