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

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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

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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
What initially resembles a thin cloud is actually the blended glow of countless distant stars, partially interrupted by darker lanes of interstellar dust. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026 Key among them is the expanding cloud of debris formed from the explosion of supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 6 July 2026
Verb
Each features clouded bubbles to suggest aging, and the Air Max 90 takes the idea further with a distressed upper in the Infrared colorway. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 30 June 2026 Complicated money matters, emotional entanglements or the fear of choosing incorrectly could cloud your judgment today. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 30 June 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
  • Tracers from air defense fire streaked through the air as a huge pall of black smoke rose into the sky.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Trump started the day threatening to block Congress’ biggest bipartisan legislation of his second term over a voter ID bill that faces no path to law — casting a pall over a Capitol that had already begun celebrating a rare cost-of-living victory.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 24 June 2026
Definition of pall
Verb
  • While institutional incentives aren't wrong, portraying them solely as student benefits obscures a critical reality.
    — Scott White, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Crews have been seen unloading equipment from trucks this week — much of it covered or obscured — and barricades have been placed near the perimeter of the arena.
    — Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 4 July 2026
Definition of obscure
Verb
  • That is important because a boxy robotaxi that can drive both ways may confuse pedestrians, cyclists or other drivers.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • One of the biggest mistakes students make is confusing a loan approval with an affordability recommendation.
    — Scott White, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of confuse
Noun
  • When Ian Happ made the final out of the frame, the umpires convened and called a delay, a rare stoppage because of the fog-shrouded Wrigley Field.
    — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Dense fog shrouded the Golden Gate Bridge and masked the city's fireworks display.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Definition of fog
Verb
  • Reddick loads her genre-blurring tale with outlandish intrigue involving Soviet spies, a capitalist cult and a roving choir that doubles as a Greek chorus.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Telemundo also signed actor Owen Wilson, who isn’t Latino or known for speaking Spanish, as a spokesperson for the Spanish-language coverage of the World Cup, blurring the lines for an American audience that speaks both English and Spanish.
    — Alex Sherman, CNBC, 7 July 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
  • Casting a shadow, though, was that controversy over Balogun’s reinstatement, and the unseemly likelihood politics have butted in where politics don’t belong and should never be.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
  • Without a connection to Apple, the iPhone is going to be a mere shadow of itself.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of shadow
Verb
  • Then as skies darkened, fireworks began lighting the skies everywhere.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 July 2026
  • Start light and add layers to darken or blend the color as needed.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 1 July 2026
Definition of darken

Phrases Containing cloud

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clotting
cloud
cloudburst
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Cite this Entry

“Cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloud. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cloud

Nglish: Translation of cloud for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cloud

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