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Synonyms

cloudburst

American  
[kloud-burst] / ˈklaʊdˌbɜrst /

noun

  1. a sudden and very heavy rainfall.

cloudburst British  
/ ˈklaʊdˌbɜːst /

noun

  1. a heavy downpour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cloudburst

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; cloud + burst

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The sawdust blew a dry cloudburst over us.

From Literature

These cloudbursts led to deadly flooding that killed more than 1,000 people, underscoring how rapidly changing mountain weather can amplify natural hazards.

From Science Daily

He might have been among the few people pleased with the cloudburst at the Italian event.

From The Wall Street Journal

A cloudburst had caused a flash flood early in the morning, a local official said.

From BBC

Several parts of northern India and Pakistan, which are downstream from the rivers originating in the Himalayas, have seen devastating floods even when there were no cloudbursts or significant rainfall.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.