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

"I'm very sad that avalanche covered the school," one child wrote, addressing the letter to a teacher they didn't know had already been killed.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Much of the economic health of the entertainment industry trades — Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, etc. — rely on the avalanche of ad spending and free content that comes from Oscar campaigning.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

"There are lots of avalanche stories on our social media, so we're just feeling a bit twitchy," admits Bella.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

It is unlikely there will be an avalanche of new streaming deals but miners could look at it as an option to create value from existing assets, they write.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Merry waved his hand towards the steaming lake; and as they looked, they heard a distant rumbling and rattling, as if an avalanche was falling from the mountain-side.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Words

• barrage
• deluge
• flood
• landslide
• torrent