cloudburst

noun

cloud·​burst ˈklau̇d-ˌbərst How to pronounce cloudburst (audio)
1
: a sudden copious rainfall
2
: a sudden outpouring : deluge
a cloudburst of anger

Examples of cloudburst in a Sentence

A cloudburst caused the river to flood. the weatherman warned of possible cloudbursts in the afternoon
Recent Examples on the Web And with the climate’s rising temperature comes rising risks: stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic, more severe cloudbursts in storms across the continent, increasing drought on the Great Plains, larger wildfires in the West. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024 Homes in some districts were also washed away after a cloudburst — a sudden, very heavy rain — Sunday night, leaving roads flooded and people stranded. Chonchui Ngashangva and Sibi Arasu, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2023 Our hot breaths were like cloudbursts in the thin Andean air. Mark Johanson, Travel + Leisure, 29 July 2023 Like a cloudburst in the desert, here comes the Honda to gully-wash the status quo. Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 15 June 2023 Why work so hard to verify a cloudburst of butterflies migrating so long ago through the busiest part of one of the busiest cities on Earth? Longreads, 11 Mar. 2022 The downpour started with a cloudburst over the Olmos Creek watershed and didn’t let up for 18 hours, from the evening of Friday, Sept. 9, to the morning of Friday, Sept. 10, creating a wall of water downtown that rose almost to the second floor of the Gunter Hotel. Michael Corcoran, San Antonio Express-News, 8 Sep. 2021 The full band — rounded out by bassist-vocalist Dolan, guitarist Alex Bouks, and drummer Steve Shalaty — enters in a blast-beat-powered cloudburst, as Dolan roars out a portrait of the arriving apocalypse. Hank Shteamer, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2022 Katie Holzknecht and Mandy Goodwin, two fans, endured the cloudburst and then traded in their soaked exterior clothes in favor of new, dry gear from the in-stadium team store. Hayes Gardner, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cloudburst.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cloudburst was in 1869

Dictionary Entries Near cloudburst

Cite this Entry

“Cloudburst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cloudburst. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cloudburst

noun
cloud·​burst ˈklau̇d-ˌbərst How to pronounce cloudburst (audio)
: a sudden heavy rainfall

More from Merriam-Webster on cloudburst

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