What does the word thunderbolt mean?

Usage examples for thunderbolt

  1. After all, it was no catastrophe, no thunderbolt of fate striking him a fatal blow. – The Hidden Places by Bertrand W. Sinclair
  2. And addressing me as I stood by agitated with conflicting feelings- " Doctor," he cried with a savage grin, " have you any violent malignant poison about you to give me- something that will destroy me like a thunderbolt? – The Man-Wolf and Other Tales by Emile Erckmann and Alexandre Chatrian
  3. A thunderbolt would have been a relief. – Falkland, Complete by Edward Bulwer-Lytton