See steal someone's thunder in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "Based on a 1704 quote of John Dennis, a literary critic and playwright, who invented a novel method for creating a sound effect for thunder. The play in which he first introduced this method flopped. When the next play shown in the theatre, Macbeth, used his technique for simulating thunder, Dennis was reported in the press as jumping up and crying \"How these rascals use me! They will not have my play, yet steal my thunder.\"",
"forms": [
{
"form": "steals someone's thunder",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "stealing someone's thunder",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "stole someone's thunder",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "stolen someone's thunder",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "steal<,,stole,stolen> someone's thunder"
},
"expansion": "steal someone's thunder (third-person singular simple present steals someone's thunder, present participle stealing someone's thunder, simple past stole someone's thunder, past participle stolen someone's thunder)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "53 47",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
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"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "62 38",
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{
"_dis": "60 40",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "57 43",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1855, Jno. E. Vought, “Editor's Table (letters)”, in The Knickerbocker: Or, New-York Monthly Magazine Volume 46, page 101:",
"text": "There are several upstarts, who, without the genius to invent a style, have been copying yours, and trying to steal your thunder.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1898, Boot and Shoe Recorder - Volume 33:",
"text": "It also serves to give someone else an opportunity to steal your thunder if he considers there is any amount of thunder in it.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2001, Holly Bergeim, The Customized No No-Nos Weight Loss Plan, →ISBN, page 40:",
"text": "The sense of accomplishment is yours to enjoy, and nobody can steal your thunder. Even I couldn't take credit for your weight loss under my own plan, because you're the one who will do the accomplishing.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To appropriate someone's ideas or information, typically in order to look better at that person's expense."
],
"id": "en-steal_someone's_thunder-en-verb-hN~6ImSo",
"links": [
[
"appropriate",
"appropriate"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To appropriate someone's ideas or information, typically in order to look better at that person's expense."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "58 42",
"word": "upstage"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to appropriate someone's ideas",
"word": "viedä kunnia"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to appropriate someone's ideas",
"word": "s’attribuer les mérites"
}
]
},
{
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{
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{
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"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "47 53",
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"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "54 46",
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"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2005, Walter McDowell, Alan Batten, Branding TV: Principles and Practices, →ISBN, page 116:",
"text": "Can Your Competition Steal Your Thunder? Make sure that your competitors can't undermine your statement.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Chuck Thompson, What Should You Do Before the Tribulation Age of 42, →ISBN, page xxxix:",
"text": "I'm in no way, hoping for any such disasters to take place. Nevertheless, I know that they will and I shamefully admit I didn't want those events to steal my thunder. Literally, I want to finish, publish, market, and distribute this book around the world first.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2024 January 14, Tim Bale, “Europe is marching to the right. Can Keir Starmer carry the centre-left torch?”, in The Observer:",
"text": "Rather than stealing their thunder, that strategy has served only to make them look to more and more voters like an increasingly viable and legitimate option.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To detract from someone's accomplishments or glory; to undermine."
],
"id": "en-steal_someone's_thunder-en-verb-NIQG~P4I",
"links": [
[
"detract",
"detract"
],
[
"accomplishment",
"accomplishment"
],
[
"glory",
"glory"
],
[
"undermine",
"undermine"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To detract from someone's accomplishments or glory; to undermine."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "2 98",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to undermine",
"word": "vähätellä"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-steal someone's thunder.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/13/En-au-steal_someone%27s_thunder.ogg/En-au-steal_someone%27s_thunder.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/En-au-steal_someone%27s_thunder.ogg"
}
],
"word": "steal someone's thunder"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English predicates",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations"
],
"etymology_text": "Based on a 1704 quote of John Dennis, a literary critic and playwright, who invented a novel method for creating a sound effect for thunder. The play in which he first introduced this method flopped. When the next play shown in the theatre, Macbeth, used his technique for simulating thunder, Dennis was reported in the press as jumping up and crying \"How these rascals use me! They will not have my play, yet steal my thunder.\"",
"forms": [
{
"form": "steals someone's thunder",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "stealing someone's thunder",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "stole someone's thunder",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "stolen someone's thunder",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "steal<,,stole,stolen> someone's thunder"
},
"expansion": "steal someone's thunder (third-person singular simple present steals someone's thunder, present participle stealing someone's thunder, simple past stole someone's thunder, past participle stolen someone's thunder)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1855, Jno. E. Vought, “Editor's Table (letters)”, in The Knickerbocker: Or, New-York Monthly Magazine Volume 46, page 101:",
"text": "There are several upstarts, who, without the genius to invent a style, have been copying yours, and trying to steal your thunder.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1898, Boot and Shoe Recorder - Volume 33:",
"text": "It also serves to give someone else an opportunity to steal your thunder if he considers there is any amount of thunder in it.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2001, Holly Bergeim, The Customized No No-Nos Weight Loss Plan, →ISBN, page 40:",
"text": "The sense of accomplishment is yours to enjoy, and nobody can steal your thunder. Even I couldn't take credit for your weight loss under my own plan, because you're the one who will do the accomplishing.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To appropriate someone's ideas or information, typically in order to look better at that person's expense."
],
"links": [
[
"appropriate",
"appropriate"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To appropriate someone's ideas or information, typically in order to look better at that person's expense."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2005, Walter McDowell, Alan Batten, Branding TV: Principles and Practices, →ISBN, page 116:",
"text": "Can Your Competition Steal Your Thunder? Make sure that your competitors can't undermine your statement.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Chuck Thompson, What Should You Do Before the Tribulation Age of 42, →ISBN, page xxxix:",
"text": "I'm in no way, hoping for any such disasters to take place. Nevertheless, I know that they will and I shamefully admit I didn't want those events to steal my thunder. Literally, I want to finish, publish, market, and distribute this book around the world first.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2024 January 14, Tim Bale, “Europe is marching to the right. Can Keir Starmer carry the centre-left torch?”, in The Observer:",
"text": "Rather than stealing their thunder, that strategy has served only to make them look to more and more voters like an increasingly viable and legitimate option.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To detract from someone's accomplishments or glory; to undermine."
],
"links": [
[
"detract",
"detract"
],
[
"accomplishment",
"accomplishment"
],
[
"glory",
"glory"
],
[
"undermine",
"undermine"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To detract from someone's accomplishments or glory; to undermine."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-steal someone's thunder.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/13/En-au-steal_someone%27s_thunder.ogg/En-au-steal_someone%27s_thunder.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/En-au-steal_someone%27s_thunder.ogg"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "upstage"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to appropriate someone's ideas",
"word": "viedä kunnia"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to appropriate someone's ideas",
"word": "s’attribuer les mérites"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to undermine",
"word": "vähätellä"
}
],
"word": "steal someone's thunder"
}
Download raw JSONL data for steal someone's thunder meaning in English (4.7kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-02-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (05fdf6b and 9dbd323). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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