cloudburst

noun cloud·burst \ -ˌbərst \

Definition of cloudburst

1 :a sudden copious rainfall

2 :a sudden outpouring :deluge

a cloudburst of anger

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Examples of cloudburst in a Sentence

A cloudburst caused the river to flood.
the weatherman warned of possible cloudbursts in the afternoon

Recent Examples of cloudburst from the Web

In July 1979, cloudbursts associated with tropical storm Claudette brought 43 inches of rain to Alvin, Texas, just south of Houston, an amount that remains the heaviest 24-hour U.S. rainfall.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Tom: Have other hurricanes brought serious flooding to Texas?," 27 Aug. 2017
Things were looking pretty grim until the Orioles also discovered that the 6-o’clock cloudburst that delayed the start of the game for 42 minutes also turned Camden Yards into a giant pinball machine.

— peter schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Manny Machado hits three homers, including walk-off grand slam for 9-7 win over Angels," 19 Aug. 2017
A number of the businesses have returned but some proprietors admit to more than a bit of anxiety when severe thunderstorm warnings are issued as the cloudbursts that pop up in the humid mid-Atlantic summertime approach.

— Howard County Times, "One year later, few answers for Ellicott City's flood prevention [Editorial]," 26 July 2017
Weeks of drought, then a two-week spate of cloudbursts.

— roxie hammill, kansascity.com, "Adapting gardens to Kansas City’s changing climate," 29 Apr. 2017
The wins blurred, but one moment remains as vivid as a cloudburst.

— mark whicker, Orange County Register, "Whicker: Dick Enberg, voice behind the UCLA dynasty, honored," 9 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cloudburst.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cloudburst

1869

cloudburst Synonyms

Synonyms

rain, deluge, downfall, downpour, rainfall, rainstorm, storm, wet

Related Words

precipitation, shower; thundershower, thunderstorm, weather

Near Antonyms

drizzle, mist, mizzle, scud, spit, sprinkle

CLOUDBURST Defined for English Language Learners

cloudburst

noun

Definition of cloudburst for English Language Learners

: a brief time when it rains very hard : a sudden downpour

CLOUDBURST Defined for Kids

cloudburst

noun cloud·burst \ ˈklau̇d-ˌbərst \

Definition of cloudburst for Students

:a sudden heavy rainfall

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See words that rhyme with cloudburst Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cloudburst Spanish Central: Translation of cloudburst Nglish: Translation of cloudburst for Spanish speakers

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cloudburst

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Examples of cloudburst in a Sentence

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First Known Use of cloudburst

cloudburst Synonyms

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CLOUDBURST Defined for English Language Learners

cloudburst

Definition of cloudburst for English Language Learners

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cloudburst

Definition of cloudburst for Students

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