updraft
Americannoun
-
An upward current of warm, moist air. With enough moisture, the current may visibly condense into a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud.
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Physical Geography - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
Supersaturation increased as the aircraft sampled higher portions of the clouds, reaching about 10% at approximately −5°C. At that temperature, the updraft regions were still composed mainly of supercooled liquid droplets.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
Early investors backed Cerebras in 2016 when semiconductor startups were out of favor, before 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
Frightful took off, hit a strong updraft, and was lifted over the field and barn.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
