war cloud
1
7.5
- noun
:
nube de guerra
- Unfortunately, after two decades, war clouds appear to be gathering on the horizon again.
- war cloud gathered
So he knew that that the war clouds were brewing.
- So he knew that that the war clouds were brewing.
Examples
-
So he knew that that the war clouds were brewing.
-
As war clouds gathered in Europe, central banks shifted their reserves to safety in New York, prompting a modest recovery in the value of foreign exchange reserves held in dollars.
Academic text (2012) -
Though a strong advocate of secession, he was a member of an 1861 peace convention held in Washington, D.C., in a bid to stave off the gathering war clouds.
Blog text (27) -
The war cloud that would result from exploding oil fields and large-scale bombing of Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and other countries in the Middle East would doom the environment for many years to come.
Academic text (1998) -
OLIVER STONE: Seeing the war clouds gathering clearly on the horizon, Roosevelt decided to break with precedent and run for a third term in 1940 against the strongly antiwar Republican candidate Wendell Willkie, a corporate attorney from Indiana.
Blog text (17) -
As tensions rise between the countries, the war cloud of conflict looms ominously on the horizon.
-
The war cloud hovering over the region has led to increased military preparations and diplomatic talks.
-
Analysts are concerned that the war cloud threatening the fragile peace might spark unrest among the nations.
Synonyms
176
6.1
A feeling of doubt or worry that harms someone's reputation
14
1.0
A dark, heavy cloud that shows rain or a storm is coming
Antonyms
How Likely
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a sign that war is likely' is partly derivable from 'war' + 'cloud' because 'cloud' is commonly used metaphorically to signal looming threat or gloom, so learners can map the image of an approaching cloud onto impending conflict. However, this is a metaphorical extension rather than a literal, fully compositional meaning, so a B1 learner might infer the general sense but may miss finer idiomatic nuance without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase war cloud comes from the image of dark clouds gathering before a storm. Just as those clouds warn of bad weather, war clouds are signs that 'war is likely' or that trouble is coming.