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Meaning & use

black cloud

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌblæk ˈklaʊd/
US/ˌblæk ˈklaʊd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A dark, heavy cloud, usually a sign that a storm or rain is coming.

    Grammar: Countable: a black cloud moved over the hills.

    Patterns

    • a black cloud over something

    A black cloud rolled in from the west, and we hurried indoors.

    The farmer watched the black cloud and brought in the washing.

    A black cloud covered the whole valley by noon.

  2. nouncountablefigurative

    A feeling of sadness, bad luck or worry that seems to follow a person or place.

    Grammar: Often 'a black cloud hanging over someone': used figuratively.

    Patterns

    • a black cloud hangs over someone
    • under a black cloud

    A black cloud hung over the office after the layoffs.

    He felt a black cloud following him all through the summer.

    The scandal left the club under a black cloud.

Word forms

pluralblack clouds

Common combinations

a black cloud hanging over
A black cloud hung over the family for years.
under a black cloud
The team started the season under a black cloud.
black cloud of smoke
A black cloud of smoke rose from the factory.
dark clouds gathering
Dark clouds gathered over the negotiations.
lift the black cloud
The good news lifted the black cloud.

Synonyms and how they differ

shadow
Shadow suggests something dark that lingers, while black cloud puts more focus on gloom and unluckiness.
gloom
Gloom is an uncountable word for sadness or darkness, and black cloud is a countable image for it.
jinx
Jinx refers to bad luck brought by a person or thing, while a black cloud is a sense of something dark present over you.
storm cloud
Storm cloud is more often literal, but can also describe coming trouble.

Opposites

silver liningsunshine

Word family

cloud noun
a mass of water vapor in the sky
cloudy adjective
covered with clouds
cloud verb
to make unclear or darken
blacken verb
to make or become black

Commonly confused: black cloud or black hole?

black cloud vs black hole

A black hole is an astronomical object of extreme gravity, not a cloud or a feeling of gloom.

Practice

A ____ seemed to follow the team all season, because every close game went against them.

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