fulminate

fulminate
1 of 2
verb
ful·;mi·;nate ;fu;l-m;-;n;t  ;f;l-
fulminated; fulminating
Synonyms of fulminate
transitive verb

: to utter or send out with denunciation
fulminate a decree
intransitive verb

: to send forth censures or invectives
fulminating against government regulators
—Mark Singer
fulmination
;fu;l-m;-;n;-sh;n
;f;l-
 noun
fulminate

2 of 2
noun
: an often explosive salt (such as mercury fulminate) containing the group ;CNO


Did you know?
Lightning strikes more than once in the history of fulminate. The word comes from the Late Latin fulmin;re, meaning “to strike down or confound (an opponent),” which in turn traces back to the Latin verb (same spelling) meaning “to strike” (used of lightning) or simply “to strike like lightning”; that word's source is the noun fulmen, meaning “lightning.” When fulminate was taken up by English speakers in the 15th century, it lost much of its ancestral thunder and was used largely as a technical term for the issuing of formal denunciations by church authorities. In time, its original lightning spark returned, and it’s now used when someone issues verbal “lightning strikes” in the midst of a brouhaha, tirade, or tweetstorm.

Synonyms
Verb

bluster
huff
rant
rave
spout
Examples of fulminate in a Sentence
Verb
She was fulminating about the dangers of smoking.
The editorial fulminated against the proposed tax increase.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
When Reagan fulminated against the Soviet Union, his aides, fearing nuclear war, challenged him.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
But instead of cheering in paradise, there would be fulminating in Fairfax, Va.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
According to salvage expert Curt Newport, who recovered Liberty Bell 7 in 1999, the detonator percussion caps that served as a triggering mechanism likely contained mercury fulminate.
—Andy Saunders, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2021
Silver fulminate is an incredibly reactive explosive.
—Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 30 June 2022

Word History
Etymology
Verb

Middle English fulminaten "to direct (condemnation at an offender)," borrowed from Late Latin fulmin;tus, past participle of fulmin;re "to strike down, confound (an opponent)" (Medieval Latin, "to thunder [threats, denunciations]"), going back to Latin, "to strike (of lightning), strike like lightning," derivative of fulmin-, fulmen "lightning," from fulg- (base of fulg;re "to shine brightly, flash, lighten") + -min-, -men, resultative noun suffix — more at phlegm

Noun

borrowed from French, from fulmin-, in acide fulminant "acid from which fulminates are presumed to derive" + -ate -ate entry 1; fulminant present participle of fulminer "to launch a thunderbolt" — more at fulmine

First Known Use
Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

1824, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fulminate was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century