cloud

¹cloud

noun, often attributive \ˈklau̇d\

Definition of CLOUD

1

: a visible mass of particles of condensed vapor (as water or ice) suspended in the atmosphere of a planet (as the earth) or moon

2

: something resembling or suggesting a cloud: 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 (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>

Examples of CLOUD

1. The sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky.
2. flying high above the clouds
3. It stopped raining and the sun poked through the clouds.
4. a cloud of cigarette smoke
5. The team has been under a cloud since its members were caught cheating.
6. There's a cloud of controversy hanging over the election.

Illustration of CLOUD

Origin of CLOUD

Middle English, rock, cloud, from Old English clūd; perhaps akin to Greek gloutos buttock

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CLOUD

Synonyms

darkness, pall, shadow

Related Words

cloudage; fog, haze, mist, murk, penumbra, umbra; midnight, night; mantle, shroud, veil

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

Rhymes with CLOUD

boughed, bowed, browed, crowd, loud, proud, shroud, stroud

²cloud

verb

Definition of CLOUD

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

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>

3

: taint, sully <a clouded reputation>

4

: to cast gloom over <cloud prospects for success>

Examples of CLOUD

1. greed clouding the minds of men
2. These new ideas only cloud the issue further.
3. The final years of her life were clouded by illness.

First Known Use of CLOUD

1562

Related to CLOUD

Synonyms

becloud, bedim, befog, blacken, blear, blur, darken, dim, dislimn, fog, fuzz (up), haze, mist, obscure, overcast, overcloud, overshadow, shadow, shroud

Antonyms

brighten, illuminate, illumine, light (up), lighten

Related Words

adumbrate, blot out, conceal, eclipse, hide, obliterate, screen, shade; camouflage, cloak, cover, curtain, disguise, mask, veil

Near Antonyms

expose, reveal, uncover, unveil

cloud

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any visible mass of water droplets, ice crystals, or a mixture of the two that is suspended in the air, usually at a considerable height. Clouds are usually created and sustained by upward-moving air currents. Meteorologists classify clouds primarily by their appearance. The 10 main cloud families are divided into three groups on the basis of altitude. High clouds, which are found at mean heights of 45,000–16,500 ft (13–5 km), are, from highest to lowest, cirrus, cirrocumulus, and cirrostratus. Middle clouds, at 23,000–6,500 ft (7–2 km), are altocumulus, altostratus, and nimbostratus. Low clouds, at 6,500–0 ft (2–0 km), are stratocumulus, stratus, cumulus, and cumulonimbus. A shallow layer of cloud at or near ground level is called fog.