Steal Someone’s Thunder
Meaning: To take attention or praise away from someone, often by doing or announcing something first.
If you “steal someone’s thunder,” you take attention away from them—especially after they did all the hard work. The phrase comes from a 1700s playwright whose sound effect idea was copied by others. Today, it's used for social or work settings: “She stole my thunder by announcing her promotion right after mine.”
How to use it
Use it when someone’s big moment or idea gets overshadowed, at work, at parties or online. It can happen on purpose or by accident. It’s informal but fine at work, and people often use it kindly: “I don’t want to steal your thunder, but…”
Examples
- She stole my thunder by announcing her promotion right after mine.
- I don’t want to steal your thunder, so you should tell them the good news.
- Their surprise launch stole the competitor’s thunder a day before its big event.
A common mistake
Use a possessive: steal my thunder or steal someone’s thunder, not “steal the thunder to me.” It’s about attention, not about taking a real object.
Where it comes from
It goes back to John Dennis, an English playwright in the early 1700s. He invented a new way to make the sound of thunder for one of his plays. The play closed quickly, but the theater later used his thunder effect in a production of Macbeth, and Dennis reportedly complained that they had stolen his thunder.
Say it out loud
Tabbi Daily gives you one short lesson like this every day. Listen, record yourself and hear how you sound. Free, no account needed.
Source: Wikipedia