cloud
Americannoun
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a visible collection of particles of water or ice suspended in the air, usually at an elevation above the earth's surface.
- Synonyms:
- vapor
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any similar mass, especially of smoke or dust.
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a dim or obscure area in something otherwise clear or transparent.
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a patch or spot differing in color from the surrounding surface.
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anything that obscures or darkens something, or causes gloom, trouble, suspicion, disgrace, etc.
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a great number of insects, birds, etc., flying together.
a cloud of locusts obscuring the sun.
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Digital Technology. Usually the cloud any of several, often proprietary, parts of the internet that allow online processing and storage of documents and data as well as electronic access to software and other resources.
More and more software companies are encouraging users to store their work in the cloud.
adjective
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of or relating to cloud computing.
cloud software; cloud servers.
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relating to or doing business on the internet.
Google and other cloud companies.
verb (used with object)
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to overspread or cover with, or as with, a cloud or clouds.
The smoke from the fire clouded the sun from view.
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to overshadow; obscure; darken.
The hardships of war cloud his childhood memories.
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to make gloomy.
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(of distress, anxiety, etc.) to reveal itself in (a part of one's face).
Worry clouded his brow.
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to make obscure or indistinct; confuse.
Don't cloud the issue with unnecessary details.
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to place under suspicion, disgrace, etc.
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to variegate with patches of another color.
verb (used without object)
idioms
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on a cloud, exceedingly happy; in high spirits.
On the night of the prom the seniors were on a cloud.
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under a cloud, in disgrace; under suspicion.
After going bankrupt he left town under a cloud.
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in the clouds,
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in a condition of absent-mindedness; lost in reverie.
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impractical.
Their schemes are usually up in the clouds.
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noun
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a mass of water or ice particles visible in the sky, usually white or grey, from which rain or snow falls when the particles coagulate See also cirrus cumulonimbus cumulus stratus
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any collection of particles visible in the air, esp of smoke or dust
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a large number of insects or other small animals in flight
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something that darkens, threatens, or carries gloom
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jewellery a cloudlike blemish in a transparent stone
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(modifier) of or relating to cloud computing
a cloud application
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not in contact with reality
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under reproach or suspicion
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in a state of gloom or bad temper
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informal elated; very happy
verb
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to make or become cloudy, overcast, or indistinct
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(tr) to make obscure; darken
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(tr) to confuse or impair
emotion clouded his judgment
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to make or become gloomy or depressed
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(tr) to place under or render liable to suspicion or disgrace
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to render (liquids) milky or dull or (of liquids) to become milky or dull
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to become or render mottled or variegated
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A visible body of very fine water droplets or ice particles suspended in the atmosphere at altitudes ranging up to several miles above sea level. Clouds are formed when air that contains water vapor cools below the dew point.
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A distinguishable mass of particles or gas, such as the collection of gases and dust in a nebula.
Synonym Usage
Cloud, fog, haze, mist differ somewhat in their figurative uses. Cloud connotes especially daydreaming: His mind is in the clouds. Fog and haze connote especially bewilderment or confusion: to go around in a fog ( haze ). Mist has an emotional connotation and suggests tears: a mist in one's eyes.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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cloudlessnessnoun
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intercloudverb (used with object)
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cloudlessadjective
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cloudlikeadjective
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cloudlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cloudsimple
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cloudssimple
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have cloudedperfect
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has cloudedperfect
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am cloudingprogressive
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are cloudingprogressive
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is cloudingprogressive
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have been cloudingperfect progressive
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has been cloudingperfect progressive
Past
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cloudedsimple
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had cloudedperfect
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was cloudingprogressive
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were cloudingprogressive
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had been cloudingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cloud
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English clūd “rock, hill”; akin to clod, Greek gloutós “buttock”; see gluteus ( def. )
Explanation
A cloud is a clump of water vapor that you can see in the sky. Clouds are sometimes white and puffy, and other times so big and gray that they completely block the sun. Clouds form when air rises and cools and the moisture in it condenses into a visible form. Any similar billowy mass is also a cloud, like a cloud of smoke over your campfire or a cloud of dust after your car peels out of the driveway. If you're gloomy or morose, someone might say there's a cloud over you — a figurative cloud of sadness. On the other hand, if you're "on cloud nine," you couldn't be happier.
Vocabulary lists containing cloud
Weather and Climate - Introductory
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The Water Cycle - Introductory
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Weather and Climate - Middle School
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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:
By necessity, cloud gaming requires a sufficiently fast internet connection.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Microsoft’s cloud business, the industry’s second biggest, grew at a 40% pace in its latest reported quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
While cloud gaming has long been billed as the future of video games, previous efforts have failed to gain widespread adoption - leading to the high-profile closure of Google Stadia in 2023.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Its cloud business recorded more than $24 billion in the quarter, and its net profit tripled to over $112 billion.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“A black cloud billowed fast from the south, a thousand feet above the trees. It quickly pulled overhead, and the day grew dim like approaching dusk. It had to be the mountain.”
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
It’s a good way not to think about the inevitability of the clouds and cold returning, and to enjoy hummingbirds and other winged neighbors up close instead of through a clammy windowpane.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The phenomena were observed earlier this month thanks to monsoon moisture coming from the south and bringing midlevel clouds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
This air also dries out, meaning no clouds can form, so strong sunshine is able to heat the ground even further.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Unlike trees, mountains, rivers, clouds, and animals, which are dominated by curved and branching forms, crystals stand out because of their flat surfaces and straight edges.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
It wasn’t raining, but dark clouds peppered the sky in a way that could mean that recess would be wet.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
It is unacceptable that a public institution already so clouded in secrecy either chooses to or must rely on a private consulting firm.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
Take this spring’s Michael Jackson biopic, a film that purged Jackson of all of his eccentricities in an attempt to downplay the allegations that clouded his late career.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
While artificial intelligence has clouded the outlook for many white-collar roles, especially office jobs, employers are having a hard time filling openings in fast-growing fields like healthcare, cybersecurity and skilled trades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The pool was clouded with algae within days of being refilled and large pieces of the new sealant could be seen peeling from the bottom.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
A little while after ni-Frith the sky clouded over thickly.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Today, severe corneal clouding often requires a full corneal transplant.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 2026
But no one who has worked in late-night television in recent years can dispute how financial challenges are clouding the format’s future.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
The markets got an unwelcome reminder today that the war in Iran isn’t over, clouding a picture that’s recently been dominated by sunny earnings reports.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
Critics have raised the spectre of "circular financing" deals in which investments by Nvidia in other companies may be clouding perceptions about how robust AI demand really is.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
It was late morning, and although it seemed warm outside, the sky was gray and clouding over.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
