cloud

cloud — noun

1. a white or grey patch in the sky that appears when tiny water particles gather a

1.nounA2
Definition

a white or grey patch in the sky that appears when tiny water particles gather and become visible

Example

Theo looked up and saw white clouds floating across the bright blue sky.

countable: a cloud / white clouds

Dark clouds covered the sun, and soon it began to rain.

Common collocations
  • dark cloud
  • white cloud
  • cloud cover
  • storm cloud
  • rain cloud
  • cloud bank

Usage Note

countable when referring to one or more individual clouds; uncountable when referring to cloud cover in general ('There is too much cloud in the sky for stargazing').

2. a visible mass of dust, smoke, steam, or tiny particles floating in the air

2.nounB2
Definition

a visible mass of dust, smoke, steam, or tiny particles floating in the air

Example

A thick cloud of dust rose from the dirt road as the truck drove past.

cloud of + [substance]: cloud of dust

Clouds of white steam poured out of the kettle in the kitchen.

Common collocations
  • cloud of dust
  • cloud of smoke
  • cloud of steam
  • cloud of insects
  • thick cloud
Synonyms
  • mass

    less specific — a mass can be solid or liquid and does not suggest floating in air

Grammar Patterns

cloud of + [substance]

Usage Note

always countable — the pattern 'a cloud of + [substance]' or 'clouds of + [substance]' is the most common use.

3. a system of remote servers on the internet where people save data, run software,

3.nounB1
Definition

a system of remote servers on the internet where people save data, run software, and access files from anywhere

Example

Yara saved all her photos to the cloud so she could access them from any device.

the cloud (singular, with 'the')

Many companies now use cloud storage instead of keeping files on local computers.

attributive use: cloud storage

Common collocations
  • the cloud
  • cloud storage
  • cloud computing
  • cloud service
  • in the cloud
  • cloud-based
  • cloud provider

Usage Note

almost always used with 'the' ('the cloud'). Frequently used as a modifier before other nouns: cloud storage, cloud computing, cloud service.

4. a cause of sadness, worry, or trouble that affects your mood or situation negati

4.nounB2
Definition

a cause of sadness, worry, or trouble that affects your mood or situation negatively

Example

A cloud of worry hung over the Watanabe family as they waited for news from the hospital.

a cloud of + [emotion]: a cloud of worry

The bad news cast a dark cloud over the whole celebration.

cast a cloud over [something]

Common collocations
  • cloud of worry
  • cloud of suspicion
  • cast a cloud
  • cloud hanging over
  • cloud lifted
  • dark cloud
Synonyms
  • shadow

    more general — can refer to any negative influence, not only emotional weight

Grammar Patterns

a cloud of + [emotion]

cast a cloud over + [something]

Usage Note

often used figuratively with verbs like 'cast,' 'hang,' 'lift,' or 'clear.' The pattern 'a cloud over + [something]' is very common.

Idioms

every cloud has a silver lining

idiom

used to express that every bad or difficult situation has some positive or hopeful aspect

Losing that job was hard, but every cloud has a silver lining — Diego found a better one a month later.

under a cloud

idiom

to be under suspicion or not trusted by others, often because of something bad that happened

The manager left the company under a cloud after money went missing from the accounts.

on cloud nine

idiom

to be extremely happy

When Priya heard she got the scholarship, she was on cloud nine for days.

have your head in the clouds

idiom

To be distracted or not paying attention to what is happening around you.

Maya had her head in the clouds during the math lesson.

Did you have your head in the clouds when I gave the instructions?

cloud — verb

Word family

  • cloudy
    adjectiveA2
  • cloudless
    adjectiveB2
  • cloudiness
    nounB2
  • clouded
    adjectiveB2
  • clouding
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe visible particles in the air, but they differ in where they form and how much they affect visibility. A cloud is a mass of tiny water droplets or ice crystals high in the sky — you look up to see clouds. Fog is a thick cloud that sits on the ground, reducing visibility to less than a kilometre; drivers often turn on warning lights in fog. Mist is thinner than fog, common near rivers or lakes in the early morning, and visibility remains fairly good. Haze is the lightest of all, usually caused by fine dust or pollution rather than water, giving the air a slightly grey or brown tinge. For example: 'The plane flew through thick clouds,' but 'The race was cancelled because of heavy fog.' On a cool autumn morning you might see mist rising from a pond, while on a smoggy afternoon the city skyline is hidden by haze.

fog ↗mist ↗haze

Common collocations

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The word 'cloud' comes from Old English 'clūd,' which originally meant 'a hill or a mass of rock.' Early English speakers compared the shapes of clouds in the sky to rocky landscapes, so the same word came to describe visible masses of water vapour. By the 1300s it was used mainly for sky formations. The modern computing sense — the cloud — came from network diagrams in the 1990s, where a cloud symbol represented the internet as a whole.