avalanche

American  

[av-uh-lanch, -lahnch] / ˈæv əˌlæntʃ, -ˌlɑntʃ /

noun

1. a large mass of snow, ice, etc., detached from a mountain slope and sliding or falling suddenly downward.

2. anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity.

   an avalanche of misfortunes; an avalanche of fan mail.

3. Also called Townsend avalanche.  Physics, Chemistry. a cumulative ionization process in which the ions and electrons of one generation undergo collisions that produce a greater number of ions and electrons in succeeding generations.

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verb (used without object)

avalanched, avalanching

1. to come down in, or like, an avalanche.

verb (used with object)

avalanched, avalanching

1. to overwhelm with an extremely large amount of anything; swamp.

avalanche British  

/ ˈævəˌlɑːntʃ /

noun

1. 1. a fall of large masses of snow and ice down a mountain

   2. a fall of rocks, sand, etc

2. a sudden or overwhelming appearance of a large quantity of things

   an avalanche of letters

3. physics a group of ions or electrons produced by a single ion or electron as a result of a collision with some other form of matter

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verb

1. to come down overwhelmingly (upon)

avalanche Scientific  

/ ăv′ə-lănch′ /

1. The sudden fall or slide of a large mass of material down the side of a mountain. Avalanches may contain snow, ice, rock, soil, or a mixture of these materials. Avalanches can be triggered by changes in temperature, by sound vibrations, or by vibrations in the earth itself.

2. A process resulting in the production of large numbers of ionized particles, in which electrons or ions collide with molecules, with each collision itself producing an additional electron or ion that in turn collides with other molecules. Avalanches are what generate the pulses of electric current that are registered by Geiger counters.

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Etymology

Origin of avalanche

1755–65; < French < dial. (Savoy) avalantse, alteration (by association with avaler to descend rapidly) of laventse < pre-Latin (perhaps Ligurian) *lavanca, or reshaping of Late Latin labīna landslide (derivative of Latin labī to slide) with a pre-Latin suffix -anca

Example Sentences

Diego Gonçalo filmed the moments after an avalanche in St Anton, Austria.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

There's been no escaping avalanche reports in the French media.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

The eurozone data calendar thins out after the usual end-of-month avalanche.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

The decisions will help determine the direction of an economy that powered through an avalanche of change in 2025 and emerged in the new year on a better-than-expected footing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

As I peel the cover open, an avalanche slides out: newspaper clippings.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Related Words

• barrage
• deluge
• flood
• landslide
• torrent