Illustration of cloud
- 1 cirrus
- 2 cirrostratus
- 3 cirrocumulus
- 4 altostratus
- 5 altocumulus
- 6 stratocumulus
- 7 nimbostratus
- 8 cumulus
- 9 cumulonimbus
- 10 stratus
1
: a visible mass of particles of condensed vapor (such as water or ice) suspended in the atmosphere of a planet (such as the earth) or moon
2
: something resembling or suggesting a cloud: such as
a
: a light filmy, puffy, or billowy mass seeming to float in the air
a cloud of blond hair
a ship under a cloud of sail
b(1)
: a usually visible mass of minute particles suspended in the air or a gas
(2)
: an aggregation of usually obscuring matter especially in interstellar space
(3)
: an aggregate of charged particles (such as electrons)
c
: a great crowd or multitude : swarm
clouds of mosquitoes
3
: something that has a dark, lowering, or threatening aspect
clouds of war
a cloud of suspicion
4
: something that obscures or blemishes
a cloud of ambiguity
5
: a dark or opaque vein or spot (as in marble or a precious stone)
6
: the computers and connections that support cloud computing
storing files in the cloud
—often used before another nouncloud storage/backup
cloud software
clouded; clouding; clouds
1
: to grow cloudy
—usually used with over or up
clouded over before the storm
2
a
of facial features
: to become troubled, apprehensive, or distressed in appearance
her face clouded with worry
b
: to become blurry, dubious, or ominous
—often used with over
the outlook is clouding over
3
: to billow up in the form of a cloud
1
a
: to envelop or hide with or as if with a cloud
b
: to make opaque especially by condensation of moisture
steam clouded the windows
c
: to make murky especially with smoke or mist
smoke clouded the sky
2
: to make unclear or confused
cloud the issue
4
: to cast gloom over
cloud prospects for success
Synonyms
Examples of cloud in a Sentence
Noun
The sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky.
flying high above the clouds
It stopped raining and the sun poked through the clouds.
a cloud of cigarette smoke
The team has been under a cloud since its members were caught cheating.
There's a cloud of controversy hanging over the election.
Verb
greed clouding the minds of men
These new ideas only cloud the issue further.
The final years of her life were clouded by illness.
Recent Examples on the Web
John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Apr. 2024
By Davey Alba and Julia Love / Bloomberg April 18, 2024 2:05 AM EDT
Alphabet Inc.’s Google has fired 28 employees after they were involved in protests against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion joint contract with Amazon.com Inc. to provide the Israeli government with AI and cloud services.
—TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Wait Toms Out in a Blind Sometimes there are no breaks in the clouds, and the rains fall relentlessly, filling the creeks and clogging culverts with diapers and Mountain Dew bottles.
—Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 18 Apr. 2024
The Quest 2 is also capable of streaming games from a PC (including VR games) or from the Xbox cloud.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
Most airplanes are struck by lightning when flying through clouds.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
Notice how the cumulus clouds diminish during the #eclipse and take almost an hour after totality to redevelop!
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
Elsewhere, Kong added that there will probably also be some breaks in the clouds from northern Arkansas to central Ohio behind a front.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Here's the latest forecast along the path of totality:
Mazatlan, Mexico: Dry and mostly cloudy with a few breaks in the clouds.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2024
Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
There was some ambiguity, or perhaps a passive-aggressive attitude, that initially clouded this development.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
For many Americans, this dream is clouded by the unknown – particularly the looming specter of healthcare costs.
—Fran Soistman, Ceo, Ehealth, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Yet recent economic data have complicated the picture and clouded the outlook for rate cuts.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024
Add a thin layer of gravel over top of the soil to help keep it from clouding the water.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2024
However, its true definition and application have been clouded by misconceptions, notably the popularized Venn diagram that has misled many.
—Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
From the pen of a composer clouded in deafness and declining health, the monumental Diabelli Variations exploded one of the classical era’s most popular musical forms into a transcendent statement of independence, defiance, and resilience.
—Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024
Yet allowing the specifics of his ascent to be clouded by disdain is not much better than allowing his memory to be ennobled by mystery.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Noun
The more dust or clouds in Earth's atmosphere during a lunar eclipse, the redder the moon appears.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Apr. 2024
By Davey Alba and Julia Love / Bloomberg April 18, 2024 2:05 AM EDT
Alphabet Inc.’s Google has fired 28 employees after they were involved in protests against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion joint contract with Amazon.com Inc. to provide the Israeli government with AI and cloud services.
—TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Wait Toms Out in a Blind Sometimes there are no breaks in the clouds, and the rains fall relentlessly, filling the creeks and clogging culverts with diapers and Mountain Dew bottles.
—Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 18 Apr. 2024
The Quest 2 is also capable of streaming games from a PC (including VR games) or from the Xbox cloud.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
Most airplanes are struck by lightning when flying through clouds.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
Notice how the cumulus clouds diminish during the #eclipse and take almost an hour after totality to redevelop!
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
Elsewhere, Kong added that there will probably also be some breaks in the clouds from northern Arkansas to central Ohio behind a front.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Here's the latest forecast along the path of totality:
Mazatlan, Mexico: Dry and mostly cloudy with a few breaks in the clouds.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2024
Verb
Firefighters had arrived to smoke clouding the scene about 1 a.m. March 26 while returning back to their station from an unrelated call.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
There was some ambiguity, or perhaps a passive-aggressive attitude, that initially clouded this development.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
For many Americans, this dream is clouded by the unknown – particularly the looming specter of healthcare costs.
—Fran Soistman, Ceo, Ehealth, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Yet recent economic data have complicated the picture and clouded the outlook for rate cuts.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024
Add a thin layer of gravel over top of the soil to help keep it from clouding the water.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2024
However, its true definition and application have been clouded by misconceptions, notably the popularized Venn diagram that has misled many.
—Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
From the pen of a composer clouded in deafness and declining health, the monumental Diabelli Variations exploded one of the classical era’s most popular musical forms into a transcendent statement of independence, defiance, and resilience.
—Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024
Yet allowing the specifics of his ascent to be clouded by disdain is not much better than allowing his memory to be ennobled by mystery.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cloud.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cloud
Cite this Entry
“Cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cloud. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cloud
1 of 2 noun1
: a visible mass of particles of water or ice in the form of fog, mist, or haze usually high in the air
2
a
: a usually visible mass of tiny particles in the air or bits of matter between stars
b
: a group of charged particles (as electrons)
3
: something resembling or thought to be like a cloud
a cloud of mosquitoes
under a cloud of suspicion
4
: something that appears dark or threatening
clouds of war
5
: the computers and connections that support cloud computing
storing files in the cloud
cloudless
adjective
-ləs
cloud
2 of 2 verb1
: to make or become cloudy
2
: to darken or hide with or as if by a cloud
smog clouded our view
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