2in the air 在空中AMOUNT [countableC] a mass of dust, smoke etc in the air, or a large number of insectsflying together 〔一团灰尘、烟雾或大批飞行的昆虫等的〕云状物
cloud of dust/smoke/gas etc
A cloud of steam rose into the air.
一团水蒸气升到空中。
clouds of mosquitoes buzzing around us
成群成群围着我们嗡嗡叫的蚊子
3problem 问题WORRIED [countableC] something that makes you feel afraid, worried, unhappy etc 阴影,阴云〔指令人恐惧、担忧、不快等的事物〕
cloud of
the cloud of economic recession
经济衰退的阴云
cloud on the horizon (=something that might spoil a happy situation) 令人担忧的事
The only cloud on the horizon was her mother’s illness.
唯一的忧虑是她母亲患病。
Fears of renewed terrorist attacks cast a cloud over the event (=spoilt the happy situation).
对恐怖分子再次发动袭击的担心给这次活动蒙上了一层阴影。
He returned to New York under a cloud of gloom and despair.
他心灰意冷地回到了纽约。
4under a cloud (of suspicion)informalSUSPECT if someone is under a cloud, people have a bad opinion of them because they think they have done something wrong 遭嫌弃,受怀疑
5.be on cloud nineinformalHAPPY to be very happy about something 非常兴奋,非常高兴
Examples from the Corpus
be on cloud nine• Adam was on cloud nine after the birth of his son.• I recognised it right away, and I was on Cloud Nine.
6.every cloud has a silver liningHOPEused to say that there is something good even in a situation that seems very sad or difficult 黑暗中总有一线光明
7.be/live in cloud-cuckoo-landBritish EnglishBrECRAZY to think that a situation is much better than it really is, in a way that is slightly stupid 生活在幻想世界
n8the cloudtechnical the Internet used as something that provides software or space for storing information, rather than having it on your own computer
There was a bright blue sky with a few white clouds.
heavy/thick cloud (also dense cloud formal)
By midday, heavy clouds had spread across the sky.
low/high cloud
The weather was overcast, with heavy low clouds.
storm clouds
Dark storm clouds were moving in from the Atlantic.
rain clouds
The sky had been full of rain clouds for days.
phrases
a bank/mass of cloud (=a large block of cloud)
A heavy bank of cloud was creeping across the sky.
a layer of cloud
The moon was shining through a thin layer of cloud.
wisps of cloud (=long thin pieces)
The plane flew through occasional wisps of cloud.
a band of cloud (=a long narrow area)
Long narrow bands of cloud stretched across the valley.
a blanket of cloud (=a thick layer)
In the morning, a blanket of cloud still covered the country.
a veil of cloud (=a thin layer)
A thin veil of cloud hid the moon.
verbs
clouds gather/form
The sky had darkened and clouds had gathered.
clouds cover something
For days thick cloud had covered the whole sky.
clouds clear/lift (=disappear)
At last the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared.
clouds part (=move away from each other)
Suddenly the clouds that covered the moon parted.
clouds move/roll
A narrow band of cloud has been moving across the country.
clouds drift/float (=move slowly)
A few clouds drifted across the top of the mountains.
clouds race/scud (=move quickly)
A wind was blowing and soft clouds were scudding across the sky.
clouds hang
Heavy grey clouds hung low in the sky.
cloud + NOUN
cloud cover
The cloud cover should disappear by the afternoon.
cloud formation (=the shape in which cloud forms)
There are many different types of cloud formation.
nTHESAURUS
cloud noun [countableC, uncountableU] a white or grey mass in the sky that forms from very small drops of water
The storm was still a way off but black clouds were gathering.
Thick cloud obscured the top of the hill.
fog noun [countableC, uncountableU] very thickcloud near the ground which is difficult to see through
The cars crashed into each other in thick fog.
The fog had lifted (=disappeared)slightly.
mist noun [countableC, uncountableU] light cloud near the ground that makes it difficult for you to see very far. Mist is usually not as thick as fog. You often get mist near areas of water or mountains
The morning mist was lifting and the sun was coming up.
A grey mist hung over the water.
The hills were shrouded in mist (=surrounded by mist).
haze noun [singular, uncountableU] smoke, dust, or mist in the air which is difficult to see through
He saw the horses coming towards him through a haze of dust.
The road shimmered in the heat haze.
A pale blue haze hung over the far-off mountains.
smog noun [countableC, uncountableU]dirty air that looks like a mixture of smoke and fog, caused by smoke from cars and factories in cities
The city is covered in smog for much of the year.
A smog warning was issued for parts of Southern Oregon.
thundercloud noun [countableC] a large dark cloud that you see before or during a storm
He watched the thunderclouds roll across the valley.
vapour trailBritish EnglishBrE, vapor trailAmerican EnglishAmE noun [countableC] the white line that is left in the sky by a plane
High overhead, a jet left its vapour trail across the blue sky.
heavy/thick/dense etc clouds• Under dark, heavy clouds, I returned to the den on the river.• Dark clouds rolled over denser, thicker clouds and merged with them.• Standardpolyurethanefoamignites rapidly, forming dense clouds of smoke and toxicvapour as it does so.• By morning thick clouds drift over, but the sky between them is deepblue and occasionally the sun peeks through.• Looking northwards towards the end of the dale, she frowned to see the accumulation of heavy clouds above the moors.• Weathersatelliteimages of the area taken from synchronousorbit show an immensecircular area of dense clouds above the impactsite.• The sun was down, but there was still light buried in the thick clouds patrolling the sky.• Unfortunately the fireworks must have seeded the thick clouds overhead because it absolutely poured with rain, and we got soaked.
cloud of dust/smoke/gas etc• Then in a cloud of dust he was gone.• Another chunk of wall collapsed, sending up a billowingcloud of dust.• Standard polyurethane foam ignites rapidly, forming dense clouds of smoke and toxic vapour as it does so.• As long as a cometnucleus is still active, freshclouds of dust are emitted at each perihelion passage.• The fire sent up a hugecloud of smoke visible from San Francisco, 40 miles to the south.• Instead it is a massivecloud of dust, radiating 99% of its energy at far infrared wavelengths.• Above the bare-branched trees on the edge of his vision he could see clouds of smoke.• Decades of wallpaperpeeling under clouds of dust.
cloud of• Businesses are worried by the clouds of a possible trade war.
cloud2 verb
1THOUGHTS/MEMORIES[transitiveT]CONFUSED to make someone less able to think clearly or make sensibledecisions 把…搞糊涂
cloud somebody’s judgment/mind/vision etc
Don’t let your personal feelings cloud your judgement.
不要让你的个人感情蒙蔽你的判断力。
Fear had clouded his vision.
恐惧模糊了他的判断。
2FACE[intransitiveI, transitiveT] (also cloud over)SAD/UNHAPPY if someone’s face or eyes cloud, or if something clouds them, they start to look angry, sad, or worried (使)显得阴沉;(使)忧郁
Ann’s eyes clouded with the pain.
安因为痛苦眼睛黯然无光。
Then suspicion clouded his face.
然后他满脸疑惑。
3SPOIL something[transitiveT]SPOIL to make something less pleasant or more difficult than it should have been 使…蒙上阴影,使…不开心;使…难做
Her happiness was clouded by having to leave her son behind.
cloud the issue/picture etc• These comments should not be allowed to cloud the picture too much.
5GLASS[intransitiveI, transitiveT] (also cloud up)SEE if glass or a liquid clouds, or if something clouds it, it becomes less clear and more difficult to see through (使)〔玻璃〕变模糊;(使)〔液体〕变浑浊
windows clouded up with steam
因为凝结了水蒸气而变得模糊的玻璃窗
The water clouded and I could no longer see the river bed.
水变得浑浊,我再也看不清河床了。
6COVER WITH CLOUD[transitiveT]COVER to cover something with clouds 〔云雾〕笼罩,遮盖
Thick mist clouded the mountain tops.
浓雾笼罩着山顶。
7cloud overphrasal verbphr v
a)DN (also cloud upAmerican EnglishAmE)DARK if the skyclouds over, it becomes dark and full of black clouds 〔天空〕阴云密布,乌云翻滚
b)ANGRYSAD/UNHAPPYif someone’s face or eyes cloud over, they start to look angry or sad 〔脸上或眼睛〕露出愠怒[悲伤]的神色
His face clouded over in disappointment.
他一脸失望的神情。
Examples from the Corpus
cloud• The fact that you have enjoyed a few jars together will not cloud a journalist's judgement.• The decision to put a parent in a nursing home can be clouded by guilt.• But her happiness is clouded by having to leave daughterAmber behind.• But images of the period are shrouded in myth and clouded by partisanrhetoric.• The team's victory was clouded by the tragic events in their hometown.• Bethany poised over the bed, a slightabstract frown clouding her face.• Alcohol had clouded his judgment.• When I got back to the cabin the sky had started to cloud over.• However, the shadow of war was beginning to cloud the cricket world.• His face clouded when he saw her.• The display cases were clouded with dust.