funnel cloud

American  

noun

1. 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.

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funnel cloud British  

noun

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

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Example Sentences

A funnel cloud moving over Madison, a suburb in Tennessee, caused electrical flashes and a small explosion seen in a video shared on social media.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 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

Capitol building on Tuesday afternoon were treated to a 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 Seattle Times • Jul. 25, 2023

In early 2021, a Wikipedia editor peered into the future and saw what looked like a funnel cloud on the horizon: the rise of GPT-3, a precursor to the new chatbots from OpenAI.

From New York Times • Jul. 18, 2023

The sky sagged toward the ground and a small funnel cloud appeared, which began wobbling south along the lakeshore, toward the fair.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson