Idiom: Steal Someone's Thunder
take credit or attention
Examples
- He stole her thunder.
Key rules
- Steal someone's thunder means take attention or credit that belonged to someone else
- It is informal
- Use a possessive before "thunder": steal her thunder
- The phrase often describes someone spoiling another person's announcement
Common mistakes
- Steal the thunder of her → Steal her thunder
💡 Tip: The idiom comes from an old theatre story about a stage effect.