cloud 1 of 2

noun

ˈklau̇d How to pronounce cloud (audio)
Definition of cloudnext
as in pall
an overspreading element that produces an atmosphere of gloom all day we were under a cloud until we heard the good news

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cloud

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct the diner's dark interior, clouded with smoke and grease

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to confuse
to make (something) unclear to the understanding cloud the issue with obscure statistics

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cloud
Noun
Weeks later, Zuckerberg confirmed the cloud plans on Meta’s earnings call. — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 Tuesday, a pleasant evening is expected, with mainly clear skies and occasional passing high clouds. — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
This passion for sports, however, can cloud a fan’s understanding of the basic data. — Abigail Hall, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026 Something about home or family could be distracting you in a way that’s clouding your read on your professional situation today. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cloud
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cloud
  1. pall
  2. obscure
  3. confuse
  4. fog
  5. blur
  6. becloud
  7. shadow
  8. darken
Noun
  • The Republican candidate has been hobbling through the race, with lackluster fundraising and a long history of personal and legal scandals casting a pall over his candidacy.
    — Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The play cast a pall over the rest of the game, but Oregon backup quarterback Dylan Raiola managed to throw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against USC’s defense.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of pall
Verb
  • But take a walk inside and the ground is laden with faint slabs of rock, gravestones from a centuries-old Indigenous family cemetery that had been obscured by the passage of time and neglect.
    — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
  • However, any potential signal is expected to be faint and can be obscured by cosmic variance, the statistical uncertainty that arises when observations cover only a finite portion of the universe.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of obscure
Verb
  • But the other Sullivan has said the decision to run was his own and denied his candidacy was intended to confuse voters or siphon votes in Republican Sullivan's tight race against Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman.
    — Willem Marx, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Christina Applegate’s recent revelation that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis is raising questions about how the disease can be confused with other conditions even after years of treatment.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of confuse
Noun
  • The morning fog had lifted as Bates trails one of his delivery trucks and its driver, Lee Wood.
    — Rachel Siegel, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Oyamel firs thrive in cool, moist, mountainous environments, usually between 1,200 and 4,100 meters (3,940–13,450 feet) above sea level, where fog and precipitation are common.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of fog
Verb
  • Scientists have been able to measure quantum effects in larger and more complex systems and over great distances, blurring the line once thought to separate the scale of observer and observed.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The distinction between entertainment platforms and traditional media is becoming increasingly blurred.
    — Victoria Usher, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of blur
Verb
  • But instead of sounding the alarm, defendants went out of their way to becloud the emerging scientific consensus.
    — Edward Fitzpatrick, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2019
  • His flacks and surrogates hand out scraps of information grudgingly, infrequently, and beclouded by fragrant eructations of doublespeak.
    — Charles Seife, Slate Magazine, 1 Mar. 2017
Definition of becloud
Noun
  • Colors were suitably accurate and nicely saturated, and the image offered good contrast across the board from dark to bright scenes, along with impressively good shadow detail and a sense of three-dimensionality in dark scenes.
    — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The bear was also recently featured in Southern Living — for a few months each fall, a local mountain casts a shadow shaped like a bear onto the fall foliage below.
    — Eva Flowe, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of shadow
Verb
  • Abdalla’s fall refresh enhances her brunette base by darkening her roots and replacing those golden ribbons with warm brunette tones for lived-in dimension.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, the surrounding sky darkens, increasing the contrast until the pale daytime moon seems to switch on at dusk and grow increasingly brilliant.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of darken

Phrases Containing cloud

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clotting
cloud
cloudburst
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Cite this Entry

“Cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloud. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cloud

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