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cloudburst

cloudburst

2 6.3
A sudden very heavy rain that falls for a short time
  • noun
  • /ˈklaʊdbɜrst/
translation icon : aguacero
  • Last summer, a cloudburst caused the river to overflow, creating a dangerous situation.
  • a sudden cloudburst

Examples

  • A sudden cloudburst flooded the streets within minutes, leaving cars stranded.

  • There had been a cloudburst, and Buffalo Creek was up.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • A cloudburst followed.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • '''We ducked into an underpass to avoid the cloudburst.

  • But neither she nor the attendant had reckoned on a cloudburst, and very soon it became no longer a diversion, but a serious and essential matter to get to a shelter.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • During a cloudburst, torrents gushed out of them, carried from the streets and from the natural drainage swales high in the grassy eastern hills above town.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • But less than two minutes after it began, the cloudburst stopped, and the thunderheads rolled away, clearing the sky and revealing bright thickets of stars and a nearly full moon above them, illuminating the hillside with a clean, silver light.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • During the hike, we experienced a cloudburst that soaked us completely before it stopped.

Synonyms

rainstorm
vscloudburst
26 1.0

A short time when a lot of rain falls, often with strong wind

is more about sudden brief heavy bursts rather than extended weather
downpour
vscloudburst
24 2.7

A heavy and sudden fall of rain

is the same idea but tends to stress short length
deluge
vscloudburst
11 6.3

A very heavy rain that causes flooding

is usually shorter and focuses on suddenness not flooding
thundershower
vscloudburst
4 3.8

A short rainstorm with thunder and lightning

is focused on intense rain bursts without required thunder
torrent
vscloudburst
3 4.4

A very heavy fall of rain that starts suddenly

is the same but often implies a shorter duration
torrent of rain
vscloudburst
1 3.0

A sudden very heavy fall of rain that soaks everything

is identical in heaviness but more likely to note brief duration
soaker
vscloudburst
  • US
1 4.2

A short time of very heavy rain

focuses on sudden intense rain rather than prolonged soaking
heavy precipitation
vscloudburst
1 3.2

A lot of rain or snow that falls in a short time

is limited to very heavy rain only, not other precipitation types
spate of rain
vscloudburst
6.3

Heavy rain that falls suddenly for a short time

is focused more on single heavy bursts rather than outbreaks
pelter
vscloudburst
  • Archaic
9.9

A heavy sudden rain that soaks people quickly

is similar but highlights suddenness rather than violence
speight
vscloudburst
  • Archaic
9.9

A sudden heavy fall of rain that soaks quickly

is the modern expression focusing on ordinary contemporary use
temporale
vscloudburst
9.9

A sudden strong storm with heavy rain and thunder

is similar but emphasises heavy rain rather than storm force
sudden rain
vscloudburst
1.0

A short fall of rain that starts without warning

is heavier and more intense than mere brief unexpected light rain

Antonyms

178 3.7

A long time with no rain that makes the land very dry

8 1.0

A sky with no clouds

How Heavy

cloudburst
2 6.3
downpour
24 2.7
rain
1.0
shower
162 1.0
drizzle
21 1.0

Surface Forms

cloudburst singular
cloudbursts plural

Morphology

cloudburst = cloud + burst (transparent) = cloud + burst

The meaning can be directly inferred from the common words 'cloud' and 'burst' as a sudden outbreak of rain from clouds.

Etymology

Cloudburst comes from cloud + burst, where burst means 'to break open', so imagine a cloud 'breaking open' like a water balloon and pouring out a sudden, very heavy rain.