thunderhead

[thuhn-der-hed]

noun

Meteorology.

1. incus.

2. cumulonimbus.

3. the upper portion of a cumulus cloud characterized by dense, sharply defined, cauliflowerlike upper parts and sometimes by great verticality.

thunderhead

/ ˈθʌndəˌhɛd /

noun

1. the anvil-shaped top of a cumulonimbus cloud

Word History and Origins

Origin of thunderhead¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; thunder + head

Example Sentences

He likened the potential upheaval to a storm on the horizon, an “incredibly turbulent environment with looming thunderheads in all different directions.”

From Los Angeles Times

The funnel clouds that drop from thunderheads appear white at first and only become dark from the debris in their lifting whirlwinds.

From Salon

Once a prehistoric denizen of the deeps, it comes ashore on a tsunami tide, tall as a thunderhead, shrugging off artillery as it bellows a foghorn scream.

From Scientific American

Fog often develops along the state’s coastline, but there is usually not enough wind to create the uplift needed to form the tall thunderheads, called cumulonimbus clouds, where lightning emerges, Mr. Baruffaldi said.

From New York Times

Overhead, thunderheads formed, dark and swollen as blood blisters.

From Literature

Related Words

• darkness 
• fog 
• gloom 
• mist 
• puff 
• smog 
• smoke 
• steam 
• vapor 
• veil