mushroom cloud
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of mushroom cloud
First recorded in 1940–45
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.
On May 28, a fiery mushroom cloud enveloped Cape Canaveral as New Glenn’s engine malfunctioned during a pre-flight test, blowing up the rocket, launch pad and other nearby infrastructure.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
Footage shows the towering rocket erupt in an inferno, followed by a mushroom cloud of smoke as bystanders gathered to watch the launch gasp "Oh no!" and "Oh my God!"
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Harry Truman’s legacy froze the moment the mushroom cloud rose over Hiroshima.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Years later, it still felt awkward dancing away to “Enola Gay,” and even more so after the group flashed images of the notorious aircraft and a mushroom cloud on screens.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2025
The cometary impact and fireball would simulate all effects of a one- megaton nuclear burst, including the mushroom cloud, with two exceptions: there would be no gamma radiation or radioactive fallout.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
