cloud

cloud

I

cloud¹ S3 W3 /klaʊd/ noun
1.  IN THE SKY  [uncountable and countable] a white or grey mass in the sky that forms from very small drops of water
    heavy/thick/dense etc clouds
    Dark clouds floated across the moon.
    Heavy clouds had gathered over the summit of Mont Blanc.
    low/high cloud
    Visibility was bad due to low cloud. ⇨ storm cloud, thundercloud
2.  IN THE AIR  [countable] a mass of dust, smoke etc in the air, or a large number of insects flying together
    cloud of dust/smoke/gas etc
    A cloud of steam rose into the air.
    clouds of mosquitoes buzzing around us
3.  PROBLEM  [countable] something that makes you feel afraid, worried, unhappy etc
    cloud of
    the cloud of economic recession
    cloud on the horizon (=something that might spoil a happy situation)
    The only cloud on the horizon was her mother’s illness.
    Fears of renewed terrorist attacks cast a cloud over the event (=spoilt the happy situation).
    He returned to New York under a cloud of gloom and despair.
4. under a cloud (of suspicion) informal if someone is under a cloud, people have a bad opinion of them because they think they have done something wrong:
    He left the company under a cloud of suspicion.
5. be on cloud nine informal to be very happy about something
6. every cloud has a silver lining used to say that there is something good even in a situation that seems very sad or difficult
7. be/live in cloud-cuckoo-land British English to think that a situation is much better than it really is, in a way that is slightly stupid
⇨ have your head in the clouds at head¹(24)
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + cloud
   ▪ a black/grey cloud Black clouds usually mean rain.
   ▪ a dark cloud (=a black or grey cloud) A dark cloud covered the sun.
   ▪ a white cloud There was a bright blue sky with a few white clouds.
   ▪ heavy/thick cloud (also dense cloud formal) By midday, heavy clouds had spread across the sky.
   ▪ low/high cloud The weather was overcast, with heavy low clouds.
   ▪ storm clouds Dark storm clouds were moving in from the Atlantic.
   ▪ rain clouds The sky had been full of rain clouds for days.
■ phrases
   ▪ a bank/mass of cloud (=a large block of cloud) A heavy bank of cloud was creeping across the sky.
   ▪ a layer of cloud The moon was shining through a thin layer of cloud.
   ▪ wisps of cloud (=long thin pieces) The plane flew through occasional wisps of cloud.
   ▪ a band of cloud (=a long narrow area) Long narrow bands of cloud stretched across the valley.
   ▪ a blanket of cloud (=a thick layer) In the morning, a blanket of cloud still covered the country.
   ▪ a veil of cloud (=a thin layer) A thin veil of cloud hid the moon.
■ verbs
   ▪ clouds gather/form The sky had darkened and clouds had gathered.
   ▪ clouds cover something For days thick cloud had covered the whole sky.
   ▪ clouds clear/lift (=disappear) At last the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared.
   ▪ clouds part (=move away from each other) Suddenly the clouds that covered the moon parted.
   ▪ clouds move/roll A narrow band of cloud has been moving across the country.
   ▪ clouds drift/float (=move slowly) A few clouds drifted across the top of the mountains.
   ▪ clouds race/scud (=move quickly) A wind was blowing and soft clouds were scudding across the sky.
   ▪ clouds hang Heavy grey clouds hung low in the sky.
■ cloud + NOUN
   ▪ cloud cover The cloud cover should disappear by the afternoon.
   ▪ cloud formation (=the shape in which cloud forms) There are many different types of cloud formation.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ cloud noun [uncountable and countable] a white or grey mass in the sky that forms from very small drops of water: The storm was still a way off but black clouds were gathering. | Thick cloud obscured the top of the hill.
   ▪ fog noun [uncountable and countable] very thick cloud near the ground which is difficult to see through: The cars crashed into each other in thick fog. | The fog had lifted (=disappeared)slightly.
   ▪ mist noun [uncountable and countable] light cloud near the ground that makes it difficult for you to see very far. Mist is usually not as thick as fog. You often get mist near areas of water or mountains: The morning mist was lifting and the sun was coming up. | A grey mist hung over the water. | The hills were shrouded in mist (=surrounded by mist).
   ▪ haze noun [singular, uncountable] smoke, dust, or mist in the air which is difficult to see through: He saw the horses coming towards him through a haze of dust. | The road shimmered in the heat haze. | A pale blue haze hung over the far-off mountains.
   ▪ smog noun [uncountable and countable] dirty air that looks like a mixture of smoke and fog, caused by smoke from cars and factories in cities: The city is covered in smog for much of the year. | A smog warning was issued for parts of Southern Oregon.
   ▪ thundercloud noun [countable] a large dark cloud that you see before or during a storm: He watched the thunderclouds roll across the valley.
   ▪ vapour trail British English, vapor trail American English noun [countable] the white line that is left in the sky by a plane: High overhead, a jet left its vapour trail across the blue sky.

II

cloud² verb
1. [transitive] to make someone less able to think clearly or make sensible decisions
    cloud sb’s judgement/mind/vision etc
    Don’t let your personal feelings cloud your judgement.
    Fear had clouded his vision.
2. (also cloud over) [intransitive and transitive] if someone’s face or eyes cloud, or if something clouds them, they start to look angry, sad, or worried:
    Ann’s eyes clouded with the pain.
    Then suspicion clouded his face.
3. [transitive usually passive] to make something less pleasant or more difficult than it should have been:
    Her happiness was clouded by having to leave her son behind.
4. cloud the issue/picture etc to make a subject or problem more difficult to understand or deal with, especially by introducing unnecessary ideas:
    Uninformed judgements only cloud the issue.
5. (also cloud up) [intransitive and transitive] if glass or a liquid clouds, or if something clouds it, it becomes less clear and more difficult to see through:
    windows clouded up with steam
    The water clouded and I could no longer see the river bed.
6. [transitive] to cover something with clouds:
    Thick mist clouded the mountain tops.
     
cloud over phrasal verb
  1. (also cloud up American English) if the sky clouds over, it becomes dark and full of black clouds
  2. if someone’s face or eyes cloud over, they start to look angry or sad:
    His face clouded over in disappointment.