funnel cloud

American

noun

a rapidly rotating funnel-shaped cloud extending downward from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud, which, if it touches the surface of the earth, is a tornado or waterspout.

funnel cloud British

noun

a whirling column of cloud extending downwards from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud: part of a waterspout or tornado

"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

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funnel cloud

The tornado comes less than a day after a funnel cloud briefly touched down in the county of Madera, about 30 minutes north of Fresno.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2024

If it doesn't, it's only a funnel cloud.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2023

Capitol building on Tuesday afternoon were treated to an unusual sight: the unmistakable shape of a funnel cloud extending diagonally from the sky and seemingly almost reaching the tip of the Capitol dome itself.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 25, 2023

The funnel cloud never touched down on the ground and therefore can’t be classified as a tornado.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 25, 2023

The storm howled, the black walls of the funnel cloud swirling faster.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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