updraft
Americannoun
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An upward current of warm, moist air. With enough moisture, the current may visibly condense into a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud.
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Compare downdraft
Etymology
Origin of updraft
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at up-, draft
Vocabulary lists containing updraft
Physical Geography - Middle School
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Physical Geography - High 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.
Cerebras was launched when semiconductor startups were out of favor, went through a few near-death experiences, and then caught the artificial-intelligence updraft.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Lately, the AI updraft is breathing new life into even more of old tech.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
Traders will recall that Oracle’s earnings report last September created a massive updraft of more than 100 points in the stock — which it quickly gave back and then some.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026
They're caused by a sudden updraft in humid, moist air, which leads to a heavy and localised burst of rain.
From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025
The plane swooped down off the porch, then suddenly caught an updraft and climbed higher than their heads, looped and glided smoothly to the grass.
From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
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.
