bolt of lightning
12
2.1
- noun
- /boʊlt əv ˈlaɪtənɪŋ/
- Directly above them, another bolt of lightning cracks through the darkening sky.
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Watch on YouTubeWe like had a bolt of lightning that went through US.
- We like had a bolt of lightning that went through US.
Examples
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A massive bolt of lightning rockets out of the menacing sky.
Fiction book (2000) -
Then a piece of information from the Post struck me like a bolt of lightning from the sky.
Fiction book (1998) -
Just strike me with a bolt of lightning and get it over with.
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One day a bolt of lightning struck his church and the whole place burnt down.
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A single bolt of lightning can reach temperatures... approaching 28,000 degrees Celsius in a split second.
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At 8:55 a bolt of lightning struck the vehicle discharging half a billion volts of electricity and producing 60,000 amperes of current.
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During the thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning illuminated the night sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
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As the storm approached, a bright bolt of lightning struck the tall tree in the park, leaving behind scorched branches.
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The sudden bolt of lightning startled everyone at the outdoor concert, lighting up the sky before the thunder roared.
Synonyms
360
1.0
A sudden bright flash in the sky during a storm caused by electricity
63
1.7
A sudden bright flash of lightning in the sky
41
3.2
A sudden flash of electricity from the sky that hits something or a sudden strong idea
9
3.5
A flash of lightning followed by a loud crash of thunder
2
7.0
Bright flashes in the far sky at night with no nearby thunder, often on hot evenings
1
6.2
A wide, soft flash that lights the sky from distant lightning behind clouds
A sudden bright flash of light in the sky
How Bright
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'bolt of lightning' follows directly from its parts: 'bolt' (a sudden electrical discharge) together with 'lightning' (a bright flash) describes the same phenomenon, with 'of' simply linking them. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The phrase bolt of lightning comes from an old picture: people called a fast, straight thing a bolt, like an arrow or spear thrown from the sky. So a bolt of lightning felt like a sudden, strong strike from above, which is why it means 'a sudden flash of lightning'.