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cloud

cloud

102 1.0
A large group of small things moving together in the air
  • noun
  • /klaʊd/
translation icon : nube
  • The car comes to rest in a big cloud of smoke.
  • a cloud of dust
  • a cloud of smoke
  • a cloud of insects

There are some sea slugs that produce clouds of pink colour.

Examples

  • The bus arrived in a cloud of exhaust, and they got on it.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Vicky thundered up a storm cloud of dust as she marched up to the plate.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The morning wind was already raising dust clouds when they left the ship.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The truck barely misses him, kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Perhaps two hundred yards from them, a huge cloud of dust wells up from behind big boulders.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Wow, they're just a delicious cloud of tasty goodness.

  • As I walked into the old barn, I stirred up a cloud of dust that shimmered in the sunlight.

  • The children laughed and ran through a cloud of colorful flower petals that filled the air.

  • When the fire started, it created a thick cloud of smoke that billowed into the sky.

Synonyms

smoke
vscloud
711 1.0

A cloud of tiny particles and gas made by burning something

is the general name for any large group of small things together
swarm
vscloud
42 3.4

A large group of insects or people moving together without control

focuses on a mass that floats or drifts together rather than busy activity
dust cloud
vscloud
11 2.9

A visible cloud of fine dust hanging in the air

is broader, applying to any small things that float or move together
cloud of smoke
vscloud
8 1.9

A large mass of smoke in the air from a fire

is more general, covering many kinds of small things moving together

Antonyms

89 2.6

The process of moving apart or staying apart

17 5.2

The spreading of things over a wide area, for example seeds or people

Idioms

Make someone unable to think clearly because of strong feelings or outside pressure

5 4.6

To feel very happy and excited

Being suspected or disliked by other people

on cloud nine
  • Informal
2 4.1

Feeling very happy and excited

Compounds

15 3.4

The amount of sky covered by clouds

14 1.0

A dark, heavy cloud that shows rain or a storm is coming

11 2.9

A visible cloud of fine dust hanging in the air

A large cloud that rises after a big explosion and looks like a mushroom

A large mass of smoke in the air from a fire

cloud nine
  • Informal
7 4.0

Feeling very happy and excited after something very good happens

4 1.0

A dark grey cloud that brings rain

A large white fluffy cloud with a rounded top and flat base often seen in fair weather

dark cloud
  • Informal
2 4.2

Sadness or worry that affects groups such as families and companies

cirrus cloud
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A thin, high cloud made of tiny bits of ice that looks like white streaks in the sky

1 3.9

A long, flat group of clouds seen from a distance

Magellanic Cloud
  • Specialized
1 9.4

One of two small irregular galaxies near the Milky Way visible from the Southern Hemisphere

1 9.9

An imaginary place where people are out of touch with reality because they are too optimistic

A feeling of doubt and worry about what will happen

cumulonimbus cloud
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A very tall dark cloud that brings heavy rain, thunder, and lightning

Oort cloud
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A distant shell around the solar system filled with small icy objects that send comets toward the Sun

A sky or mountaintop full of clouds that hides the view

cloud chamber
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A device that shows the paths of tiny invisible particles as thin white streaks in a mist

1 8.8

A nearby irregular galaxy visible from the southern sky that orbits the Milky Way

nimbus cloud
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A thick dark grey cloud that makes rain

1 7.2

A thin misty cloud that looks soft and dreamlike

1 7.5

A sign that war may happen soon

cirrocumulus cloud
  • Specialized
7.8

A small, thin white cloud high in the sky that looks like tiny ripples

cirrostratus cloud
  • Specialized
7.2

A thin, high cloud layer that often covers the sky and sometimes makes a halo around the sun or moon

A grass from Spain with fine, feathery flower heads used in dried bouquets

cloud seeder
  • Specialized
7.6

A person who adds tiny particles to clouds to make rain

altostratus cloud
  • Specialized
8.2

A gray or blue cloud layer in the middle sky that often covers most of it and brings light rain

altocumulus cloud
  • Specialized
7.1

White or gray rounded cloud patches in the middle sky

A large cloud of smoke and burning pieces that rises from a big fire

A high cloud that looks shiny with rainbow colors around sunrise or after sunset

A large cloud shaped like a mushroom that rises after a powerful explosion

nacreous cloud
  • Specialized
9.9

A bright rainbow-coloured cloud high in the sky seen at twilight

8.8

A small irregular galaxy near the Milky Way that you can see from the Southern Hemisphere

stratus cloud
  • Specialized
3.5

A low, flat gray cloud layer that often covers the sky and brings light drizzle

Wilson cloud chamber
  • Specialized
8.9

A device that makes vapor tracks to show where tiny charged particles move

How Large

swarm
42 3.4
cloud
102 1.0
cluster
210 3.1
scattering
5 4.6

Surface Forms

cloud singular
clouds plural

Etymology

Cloud can mean a large group of small things because many tiny bits together form a single 'mass', so a cloud of dust or insects looks like a lump moving through the air.