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

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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

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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
Luwi’s father and uncle helped build him a house about thirty feet from Luwi’s family’s hut, in Waieti, a hamlet on a mountainside, more than five thousand feet high, with clouds pooling in the valleys below. — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Stars are born from the molecular gas clouds that lie in interstellar space, and these clouds are enriched with the elements produced by fusion reactions within previous generations of stars. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
As Venus and Neptune tussle, your romantic judgment gets clouded. — Usa Today, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 What underlying assumptions are clouding my strategic judgment? — Simone Lundquist, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 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
  • Whatever its stated purpose, the assertion seemed designed to cast a pall on the elections four months hence.
    — James Robenalt, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026
  • Slower growth could cast a pall on the November midterm elections.
    — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 25 July 2026
Definition of pall
Verb
  • In the years since Shakur’s murder, what exactly happened in that hail of bullets -- and who pulled the trigger -- was obscured by a lack of physical evidence, feuding cops and the gangland code of silence.
    — Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Once there, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf watch as the butterfly approaches the outstretched hand of a woman whose face is obscured, before the ominous presence crushes it in her hands.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscure
Verb
  • This reserve should not be confused with a permanent investment strategy.
    — Steve Booren, Denver Post, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The light entering my eyes would bend at two different angles, confusing my brain and making my vision a little blurry.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of confuse
Noun
  • For near the coast this weekend, a thick layer of clouds and fog can be expected.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • There are fog machines, rainstorm fans, seat shaker amplifiers, flashing strobe lights and strong scents, according to Regal’s website.
    — Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of fog
Verb
  • Combining archival and original footage, and blurring the categories of documentary essay and the poetic avant-garde, Pelechian’s visionary works revolve around a grand recurring theme of humankind’s tumultuous relationship to the natural world.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But this summer, the lines between business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketing became increasingly blurred.
    — Taylor Cheek-Mundy, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 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
  • Ronaldo played and scored in his sixth World Cup for Portugal this summer – an all-time record – but is now a shadow of the player that once dominated the sport.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Whitaker described the look as a slightly muted range of color with deep black shadows, not bleak or colorless, but restrained, serious, suburban, and ordinary.
    — Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of shadow
Verb
  • The sky darkened suddenly, as if it had been turned down by a dimmer switch, and Decoteau frowned at a weather app on his phone.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The funeral was held less than a week after her signature song served as the soundtrack at celebrations marking a total eclipse that darkened skies across parts of Europe.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 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 21 Aug. 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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