cloud noun
1 mass of very small drops of water in the sky
ADJ. dense, heavy, thick | light | fluffy | cirrus, cumulus | high, low | broken, scattered skies of broken cloud | fast-moving, scudding | black, dark, grey, white | rain, storm, threatening, thunder Rain clouds were looming on the horizon.
QUANT. band, bank, layer, mass, wisp a layer of high cloud
VERB + CLOUD seed (= to place a substance in a cloud to make it produce rain)
CLOUD + VERB form, gather, mass Dark clouds were gathering in the west. | cover sth, envelop sth, obscure sth | break, clear, disperse, lift, part The clouds broke a little, and the sun came out. | drift, float, hang, hover, loom, move, pass, race, roll, scud, swirl Thick cloud hung over the moor. A cloud passed over the sun. White clouds scudded across the sky.
CLOUD + NOUN bank, cover, formation The cloud cover is quite dense today.
PREP. above/below the ~s flying above the clouds | through the ~s She could see the sun through the clouds.
PHRASES a break in the cloud(s), a layer of cloud
2 mass of smoke, dust, etc.
ADJ. great, huge a great cloud of grey smoke | dense, thick | billowing, swirling | mushroom the mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb | dust, radioactive, smoke
PREP. ~ of a thick cloud of steam