cloudburst
/ˈklaʊdˌbɝst/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 1.84 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A sudden downfall or shortcoming.
Example Sentences
- "[B]ut the sound . . . expressed an utter abandonment to grief; not the cloud-burst of some passing emotion, but the slow down-pour of a whole heaven of sorrow."
- "A cloudburst in the China Creek district followed by continued heavy rains was responsible for the increased water."
- "In Uniontown, Pa., John Walchesky & family rushed from their house when lightning set it afire, rushed in again when a cloudburst put out the blaze."
- "[H]e walked across the lawn, wet from a fleeting late-afternoon cloudburst, the first rain in a month."
- ""[...] [T]his great storm of a beating would rain down on our backs?" "Yours, at least, Sancho," replied Don Quixote, "must be accustomed to such cloudbursts; but mine, brought up on cambric and fine Dutch linen, of course will feel more deeply the pain of this misfortune."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈklaʊdˌbɝst/
- British English: /ˈklaʊdˌbɜːst/