cloud Definition
cloud (klo̵ud)
noun
- a visible mass of tiny, condensed water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere: clouds are commonly classified in four groups: A (high clouds above 6,096 m or 20,000 ft) cirrus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus; B (intermediate clouds, 1,981 m to 6,096 m or 6,500 to 20,000 ft) altostratus, altocumulus; C (low clouds, below 1,981 m or 6,500 ft) stratus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus; D (clouds of great vertical continuity) cumulus, cumulonimbus
- a mass of smoke, dust, steam, etc.
- a great number of things close together and in motion a cloud of locusts
- an appearance of murkiness or dimness, as in a liquid
- a dark marking, as in marble
- anything that darkens, obscures, threatens, or makes gloomy
Etymology: ME cloude, clude, orig., mass of rock, hence, mass of cloud < OE clud, mass of rock: for IE base see climb
transitive verb
- to cover or make dark as with clouds
- to make muddy or foggy
- to darken; obscure; threaten
- to make gloomy or troubled
- to cast slurs on; sully (a reputation, etc.)
intransitive verb
- to become cloudy
- to become gloomy or troubled
cloud Idioms
in the clouds
- high up in the sky
- fanciful; impractical
- in a reverie or daydream
under a cloud
- under suspicion of wrongdoing
- in a depressed or troubled state of mind
cloud Synonyms
cloud
n.
Fog at a distance from the earth
haze, mist, rack, fogginess, haziness, film, puff, billow, frost, nebula, nebulosity, vapor, veil, cloud cover, cloudiness, overcast, pall. Types of clouds include: cirrus, cumulus, stratus, nimbus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus, altostratus, altocumulus, cumulonimbus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus; woolpack*, scud*, meteor*, curl-cloud*, mare's tail*, colt's tail*, cat's tail*, mackerel sky*, thunderhead*, sheep*.
Any nebulous mass
smoke, dust, vapor, dimness; see sense 1, darkness 1, fog 1.Anything ominous
pall, spot, fault, blemish, dark spot, stain, shadow, flaw, blotch, obscurity, gloom; see also warning.
in the clouds
under a cloud
suspect, dubious, under suspicion, in disgrace; see disgraced, suspicious 2.depressed, worried, sad;
cloud Telecom Definition
cloud Usage Examples
Preposition: on
horizon: The countryside is attractive rolling farmland with the nearby mountains brushing against the clouds on the horizon.
Adjective modifier
- fluffy: The pilot took us up to the fluffy clouds then let me do what I liked.
- frontal: Thin high cloud thickened during the morning with frontal cloud over Ireland moving into the Irish Sea.
- interstellar: In contrast, this image shows many old stars in addition to the interstellar clouds.
- thick: Where does he live, and why does he only ever appear at night or in thick cloud?
- patchy: Here there was patchy thin cloud with sunshine at first with the cloud thickening during the morning.
- dark: The dark clouds of war were on the horizon.
Converse of object
- billow: It burst into flames, sending out great billowing clouds of smoke.
- scud: The scudding clouds made the scene much more dramatic than it would otherwise have been.
Modifies a noun
- cuckoo: You may believe that I am living in ' cloud cuckoo land ' .
- droplet: When cloud droplets have a variety of sizes the corona is less distinct.
- forest: Finally, we headed into the cloud forest in search of the elusive resplendent quetzal.
Preposition: of
- dust: Stars usually form from collapsing clouds of dust, which means their earliest moments are hidden from view.
- smoke: These flares emit dense clouds of orange smoke, which is easier to see in bright sunlight than a burning red handheld.
Noun used with modifier
- cumulus: The huge schools of the jellyfish follow the sun around the lake, moving like cumulus clouds across a sky.
- cirrus: The ice crystals are in cirrus clouds, seen in the photographs above lower clouds behind which the sun set.
- cumulonimbus: Figure 9: Schematic diagram of a cumulonimbus cloud.
- mushroom: The mushroom cloud represented the logical culmination of industrial warfare.
- storm: Will and I then set off to brave the Fierce Ladies, storm clouds gathered and a deluge poured down upon the mountains.
- stratocumulus: The stratocumulus cloud obscured vision for day flying migrants and migrant watchers alike.
Browse dictionary entries near cloud
- ‹ cloture
- ‹ Clotho
- ‹ clothing
- ‹ clothier
- ‹ clothespress
- ‹ clothespole
- ‹ clothespin
- ‹ clothesline
- ‹ clotheshorse
- ‹ clothes tree
- cloud-capped ›
- cloud chamber ›
- cloud-cuckoo-land ›
- cloud ear ›
- cloud forest ›
- cloud nine ›
- cloud on title ›
- cloudberry ›
- cloudburst ›
- cloudland ›

