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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

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms cloud idiom

telecom cloud definition - telecom

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;


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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.

Converse of object

  • billow: It burst into flames, sending out great billowing clouds of smoke.

Modifies a noun

  • cuckoo: You may believe that I am living in ' cloud cuckoo land ' .

Preposition: of

  • dust: Stars usually form from collapsing clouds of dust, which means their earliest moments are hidden from view.

Noun used with modifier

  • cumulus: The huge schools of the jellyfish follow the sun around the lake, moving like cumulus clouds across a sky.
cloud usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

cloud quotes

Friends part foreveröwild geese lost in cloud

-Basho, Matsuo

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be fora token of a covenant between me and the earth.

-Bible (Old Testament)

And the L went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.

-Bible (Old Testament)

cloud quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"cloud." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/cloud>

APA Style

cloud. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/cloud

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