French word

tonnerre

Pronunciation

IPA/tonɛʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounthunder

Example

Il y a du tonnerre ce soir.

There is thunder tonight.

Illustration for tonnerre (thunder)

More examples

Des éclairs et du tonnerre ont fait fuir les promeneurs.

Lightning and thunder drove the walkers away.

Core concept

A deep, rolling crash spreading through the air beneath a stormy sky.

Common phrases

  • des éclairs et du tonnerre

    lightning and thunder

  • le bruit du tonnerre

    the sound of thunder

Similar words

orage: A stormy spell of weather with thunder and heavy rain.
éclair: A bright flash of light that appears briefly in the sky.
foudre: A powerful electrical strike that falls from the sky and hits an object.
bruit: A general term for any sound that can be heard.

Definition in French

Bruit fort et soudain entendu pendant un orage, produit par la décharge électrique entre les nuages ou entre un nuage et la terre.

Word origin

French tonnerre comes through Old French from Latin tonitrus, 'thunder', which is related to the verb tonare, 'to thunder'.

Usage tips

  • Tonnerre names the sound, while éclair names the flash, so the two words describe different parts of a storm.

Opposites

Word lists with this word