clouds, the
B1Neutral
Definition
Meaning
A visible mass of condensed water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere; also used metaphorically to represent gloom, uncertainty, or obstruction.
Metaphorically, 'the clouds' refers to a state of unhappiness, confusion, or difficulty. It can also refer to the abstract concept of data storage and processing on remote servers ('the cloud') in computing.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a plural countable noun, 'clouds' typically refers to multiple individual masses. In the metaphorical phrase 'under a cloud', it becomes uncountable/singular. The phrase 'the clouds' often implies a general state of the sky or atmosphere.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. Minor spelling in compounds: 'cloud-capped' (BrE) vs 'cloudcapped' (AmE) is archaic. The computing term 'the cloud' is identical.
Connotations
Similar connotations in both varieties. British weather discourse may reference clouds more frequently in everyday conversation.
Frequency
Comparatively high and similar frequency in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
N + of + N (a bank of clouds)V + prep + the clouds (disappeared into the clouds)V + the clouds + V (the clouds began to clear)Adj + clouds (ominous clouds)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Every cloud has a silver lining”
- “On cloud nine”
- “Under a cloud (of suspicion)”
- “Head in the clouds”
- “A cloud on the horizon”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
A shadow cast over proceedings: 'The merger talks proceeded under a cloud of legal uncertainty.'
Academic
In meteorology: 'The study analysed the radiative properties of cirrus clouds.' In computing: 'Data was migrated to the cloud.'
Everyday
Discussing weather or mood: 'It's going to rain, look at those dark clouds.' or 'The news cast a cloud over the celebration.'
Technical
In aviation: 'The aircraft climbed through a layer of stratocumulus clouds.' In IT: 'Infrastructure is now hosted in the cloud.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The steam clouded the mirror.
- The difficult news clouded his judgement for days.
American English
- The controversy clouded her victory.
- Tears clouded her vision.
adverb
British English
- The mountaintop appeared cloudily through the mist.
- He gazed cloudily into the distance.
American English
- The future looked cloudily uncertain.
- The memory came back cloudily.
adjective
British English
- It was a cloud-covered peak.
- They had a cloud-based storage solution.
American English
- The cloud computing sector grew rapidly.
- We saw a cloud-filled sky.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Look at the white clouds in the sky.
- There are no clouds today, it's sunny!
- Dark clouds gathered, so we hurried home.
- Her happiness was the only silver lining in those dark clouds.
- The allegations left his reputation under a cloud.
- The pilot announced we would be flying above the clouds for most of the journey.
- The economic forecast is not without its clouds on the horizon.
- She managed to dispel the clouds of doubt that had surrounded the project.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
CLOUDS: Condensed Liquid Overhead, Up in the Deep Sky.
Conceptual Metaphor
CLOUDS ARE OBSTACLES (e.g., 'cloud the issue'), CLOUDS ARE UNHAPPINESS (e.g., 'a cloud of depression'), CLOUDS ARE STORAGE (e.g., 'save it to the cloud').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating 'облака' (oblaka) as 'clouds' in the IT context. The term is 'облачные технологии' (oblachnyye tekhnologii) but the service itself is referred to in English as 'the cloud', not 'the clouds'.
- In the idiom 'head in the clouds', the Russian equivalent 'витать в облаках' (vitat' v oblakakh) is a direct translation and safe to use.
- Beware of false friends: 'облако' (oblako) is singular, while 'clouds' is plural. The singular 'a cloud' is more directly comparable.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'the clouds' to mean 'the cloud' in computing (e.g., *'I saved the file to the clouds').
- Incorrect pluralisation in metaphor: *'There are many clouds over their relationship' (better: 'There is a cloud over...').
- Confusing 'clouds' with 'sky' (e.g., *'The clouds is blue today').
Practice
Quiz
In modern computing, what does 'the cloud' specifically refer to?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily countable ('two clouds', 'many clouds'). In metaphors like 'under a cloud', it functions as a singular, uncountable concept.
'A cloud' refers to a meteorological phenomenon. 'The cloud' (singular, definite article) is the standard term for internet-based computing services and data storage.
Yes. It means to make something less clear or transparent, either literally (steam clouds a mirror) or figuratively (doubt clouds one's judgement).
The etymology is uncertain but is often linked to the US Weather Bureau's classification of clouds, where 'Cloud Nine' was the cumulonimbus thundercloud, the highest at the time. It came to mean a state of euphoria.