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, especially 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, especially of an unpleasant nature:the full force of what she had been told hit her like a thunderbolt
informal a very fast and powerful shot, throw, or stroke.
