cloud

cloud · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A visible mass of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.

  2. 2.

    To make or become less clear or transparent.

  3. 3.

    A large mass of something in the air.

  4. 4.

    To make gloomy or troubled.

  5. 5.

    A state of gloom or trouble.

  6. 6.

    (computing) Remote servers for data storage and processing.

Forms

plural: clouds

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    every cloud has a silver lining — there's good in every bad situation
  • •
    on cloud nine — extremely happy
  • •
    head in the clouds — daydreaming, impractical
  • •
    under a cloud — under suspicion
  • •
    cloud computing — internet-based data services

Related words

See also: clouds, cloudy, fog, sky
Synonyms: fog, haze, mist, vapor

Etymology

From Old English "clud" (rock, hill), later "cloud" (mass of rock). The meaning shifted to atmospheric clouds, perhaps due to the resemblance of cumulus clouds to rocky masses. The computing sense emerged in the 2000s.