cloudburst

American

[klaud-burst] / ˈklaʊdˌbɜrst /

noun

a sudden and very heavy rainfall.

cloudburst British

/ ˈklaʊdˌbɜːst /

noun

a heavy downpour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cloudburst

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; cloud + burst

Explanation

A cloudburst is a sudden deluge of rain that sends you running for cover. If the sky looks ominous and gray in the morning, you may want to grab an umbrella in case there's a cloudburst later. A cloudburst is exactly what it sounds like: torrential rain that seems to burst from a saturated cloud. This American English word was coined in the early 19th century, modeled after the German Wolkenbruch, or "cloud break." Whenever the weather abruptly changes from not raining to a downpour of heavy rain, you can call it a cloudburst.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cloudburst

He might have been among the few people pleased with the cloudburst at the Italian event.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Officials say more than 100 people are missing after a cloudburst triggered devastating flash floods in India's northern state of Uttarakhand.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2025

"I have been informed about a cloudburst incident in Dharali of Uttarkashi. We are working to rescue the people," Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told local media.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2025

After a heavy cloudburst forecast for Wednesday afternoon or night that could bring another few inches of rain, Southern California was expected to begin drying out Thursday and heading for a sunny weekend.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2024

I had gotten soaked during a couple of May downpours, and now that my house was done, I wanted the chance to sit in my hemlock and watch a cloudburst wet everything but me.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023