mushroom cloud

noun

: a mushroom-shaped cloud
specifically : one caused by the explosion of a nuclear weapon

Examples of mushroom cloud in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the 12 months since the derailment, the immediate drama of the massive fire and mushroom cloud of burning chemicals has been replaced by what some consider an equally toxic stew of uncertainty, anxiety and distrust. Brenda Goodman, CNN, 3 Feb. 2024 Footage from nearby security cameras, released to Local 10, captured a fiery mushroom cloud when the blast detonated. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 The real mushroom cloud explosion that was set off in 1944 was miles high, but the one Nolan ignited for the film reached only a few hundred feet. Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2024 But geopolitical prestige would come from such a detonation being clearly visible from Earth (in particular, in the USSR), due to the sodium vapor that would make the mushroom cloud glow brightly. Drew Turney, Popular Mechanics, 20 Apr. 2023 The creature roars, and Yamazaki’s camera pans up to reveal a mushroom cloud blooming in the skies over Tokyo. Robert Rubsam, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2024 The metastasizing mushroom cloud was achieved through practical effects. Robert Strauss, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024 In the new film, the creature’s origins tie in with nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean and its atomic ray releases a mushroom cloud of destruction. Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Dec. 2023 The sound of the blast was followed by a massive mushroom cloud billowing up toward the sky and rushing out at him, its fiery stem pulverizing everything in its path, devouring the space where the plant and his friends stood moments before. USA Today, 10 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mushroom cloud.' 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

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mushroom cloud was circa 1909

Dictionary Entries Near mushroom cloud

Cite this Entry

“Mushroom cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mushroom%20cloud. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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