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
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Photos and videos posted on social media show a mushroom cloud of fire and smoke rising from one of the oil tankers. Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 12 Mar. 2026 Memes multiplied of a couple passionately kissing in the background of a nuclear mushroom cloud. Neringa Klumbytė, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026 Nuclear fallout is caused by radioactive material inside the mushroom cloud of a nuclear detonation falling from the sky as the cloud drifts with the wind in the minutes, hours and days after the explosion. Davis Winkie, USA Today, 6 Jan. 2026 The tremendous impact also flung a mushroom cloud of ash and dust into the atmosphere, eventually shrouding the planet in a cold gloom. Joanna Thompson, Space.com, 18 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mushroom cloud

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Mushroom cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mushroom%20cloud. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.

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