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cloud Definition

cloud (klo̵ud)

noun

  1. 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
  2. a mass of smoke, dust, steam, etc.
  3. a great number of things close together and in motion a cloud of locusts
  4. an appearance of murkiness or dimness, as in a liquid
  5. a dark marking, as in marble
  6. 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

  1. to cover or make dark as with clouds
  2. to make muddy or foggy
  3. to darken; obscure; threaten
  4. to make gloomy or troubled
  5. to cast slurs on; sully (a reputation, etc.)

intransitive verb

  1. to become cloudy
  2. to become gloomy or troubled

cloud Idioms

in the clouds

  1. high up in the sky
  2. fanciful; impractical
  3. in a reverie or daydream

under a cloud

  1. under suspicion of wrongdoing
  2. in a depressed or troubled state of mind

cloud Synonyms

cloud

n.

  1. 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*.

  2. Any nebulous mass

    smoke, dust, vapor, dimness; see sense 1, darkness 1, fog 1.

  3. Anything ominous

    pall, spot, fault, blemish, dark spot, stain, shadow, flaw, blotch, obscurity, gloom; see also warning.

in the clouds

fanciful, fantastic, lost in reverie; see absent-minded, impractical, visionary 1.

under a cloud

  1. suspect, dubious, under suspicion, in disgrace; see disgraced, suspicious 2.

  2. depressed, worried, sad;

cloud Telecom Definition

A wide area network (WAN) commonly is depicted as a cloud, which serves to obscure its complex inner workings from view. Data just pops in on one side of the cloud and pops out on the other side, so to speak.

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.