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Meaning & use

being on cloud nine

phrase·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˌbiːɪŋ ɒn ˌklaʊd ˈnaɪn/
US/ˌbiːɪŋ ɑːn ˌklaʊd ˈnaɪn/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phraseinformal

    The state of feeling extremely happy and excited, usually because something very good has happened.

    Grammar: Used after 'be' or verbs like 'seem' and 'feel': He seems to be on cloud nine.

    Patterns

    • be on cloud nine
    • seem to be on cloud nine
    • be on cloud nine about something

    She's been on cloud nine ever since she passed her driving test.

    When they told him he'd won the scholarship, he was on cloud nine for days.

    The whole team was on cloud nine after beating the champions.

  2. phrasefixed phraseinformal

    The act or experience of being in that extremely happy state.

    Grammar: Here 'being' works as a noun-like subject or after a preposition: Being on cloud nine made it hard to concentrate.

    Patterns

    • being on cloud nine
    • after being on cloud nine

    Being on cloud nine is lovely, but you still have to come back to real life.

    He couldn't stop smiling after being on cloud nine all weekend.

Common combinations

be on cloud nine
She's been on cloud nine since the baby was born.
on cloud nine about something
He's on cloud nine about his exam results.
put someone on cloud nine
The surprise party really put her on cloud nine.
come down from cloud nine
It took a week for him to come down from cloud nine.

Synonyms and how they differ

over the moon
Also very happy, but it is a British idiom and often used about one specific piece of good news.
thrilled
A more standard word for great excitement; it fits formal writing where 'on cloud nine' would sound too casual.
walking on air
Similar joyful state, but it often suggests lightness and disbelief rather than excitement.

Opposites

down in the dumpsmiserable

Word family

cloud nine noun
The core of the idiom, rarely used alone except in phrases like 'on cloud nine'.

Commonly confused: being on cloud nine or cloud seven?

being on cloud nine vs cloud seven

Not a real English idiom. The fixed expression is always 'cloud nine'.

Practice

After winning the competition, Maya was ___.

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