thunderbolt

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thun·der·bolt / ˈ[unvoicedth]əndərˌbōlt/ • n. poetic/lit. a flash of lightning with a simultaneous crash of thunder. ∎  a supposed bolt or shaft believed to be the destructive agent in a lightning flash, esp. as an attribute of a god such as Jupiter or Thor. ∎  used in similes and comparisons to refer to a very sudden or unexpected event or item of news, esp. of an unpleasant nature: the full force of what she had been told hit her like a thunderbolt. ∎ inf. a very fast and powerful shot, throw, or stroke.

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