cloud 1 of 2

noun

ˈklau̇d How to pronounce cloud (audio)
Definition of cloudnext
as in pall
an overspreading element that produces an atmosphere of gloom all day we were under a cloud until we heard the good news

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

cloud

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct the diner's dark interior, clouded with smoke and grease

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to confuse
to make (something) unclear to the understanding cloud the issue with obscure statistics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cloud
Noun
But the demand for cloud storage and artificial intelligence has grown so high that utilities are moving to increase capacity to serve customers. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026 Election Day in the Philadelphia region is another pleasant fall day with sunshine filtered through high clouds and highs around 70 degrees. — CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
Verb
That provision could potentially cloud his future with the team. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 The bank's defensive playbook comes as rising energy prices and interest rates cloud the economic outlook, with higher financing costs raising questions about the durability of the AI infrastructure buildout. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cloud
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cloud
  1. pall
  2. obscure
  3. confuse
  4. fog
  5. blur
  6. becloud
  7. shadow
  8. darken
Noun
  • The Republican candidate has been hobbling through the race, with lackluster fundraising and a long history of personal and legal scandals casting a pall over his candidacy.
    — Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The play cast a pall over the rest of the game, but Oregon backup quarterback Dylan Raiola managed to throw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against USC’s defense.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of pall
Verb
  • Tornado Cash obscures transaction trails by mixing cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Flock fights to obscure 100,000 cameras For Flock protesters, cases like the one in Florida are disturbing, since Flock appears to take great pains to obscure who owns cameras where and how large its camera network is.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of obscure
Verb
  • For months, Republicans have suspected that the second Dan Sullivan’s Senate bid was designed to confuse voters as part of a broader scheme allegedly plotted by the Democratic Party to boost Peltola’s chances.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe should not be confused with evidence that extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth, Kirkpatrick said.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of confuse
Noun
  • The morning fog had lifted as Bates trails one of his delivery trucks and its driver, Lee Wood.
    — Rachel Siegel, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Oyamel firs thrive in cool, moist, mountainous environments, usually between 1,200 and 4,100 meters (3,940–13,450 feet) above sea level, where fog and precipitation are common.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of fog
Verb
  • The immersive premiere, brand collaborations, worldwide activations, and fan participation blurred the line between marketing a movie and creating a cultural event.
    — Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Wear it alone or over makeup as the mineral powder blurs imperfections and soothes the skin with a skin-loving formula.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of blur
Verb
  • But instead of sounding the alarm, defendants went out of their way to becloud the emerging scientific consensus.
    — Edward Fitzpatrick, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2019
  • His flacks and surrogates hand out scraps of information grudgingly, infrequently, and beclouded by fragrant eructations of doublespeak.
    — Charles Seife, Slate Magazine, 1 Mar. 2017
Definition of becloud
Noun
  • Colors were suitably accurate and nicely saturated, and the image offered good contrast across the board from dark to bright scenes, along with impressively good shadow detail and a sense of three-dimensionality in dark scenes.
    — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The bear was also recently featured in Southern Living — for a few months each fall, a local mountain casts a shadow shaped like a bear onto the fall foliage below.
    — Eva Flowe, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of shadow
Verb
  • Cook, stirring often, until butter browns and nuts have slightly darkened, 6–8 minutes.
    — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026
  • With all the scoring, the skies darkened to the point where the teams couldn’t continue.
    — Mike McGraw, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of darken

Phrases Containing cloud

Browse Nearby Words

clotting
cloud
cloudburst
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloud. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cloud

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cloud

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of effrontery

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All