mushroom cloud

noun

: a mushroom-shaped cloud
specifically : one caused by the explosion of a nuclear weapon

Examples of mushroom cloud in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The July 1 incident sparked at a pyrotechnics facility damaged crops, buildings and other properties within a half mile of the fire that cast a mushroom cloud over the region. Ishani Desai july 8, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2025 Both a photo claiming to show Israeli intelligence HQ in ruins and a video of a nuclear bomb-sized mushroom cloud in Tehran on X appeared to be AI-generated, based on NBC News' visual analysis and confirmation through a tool operated by Google that identifies its own AI-generative technology. Chelsea Chan, NBC news, 24 June 2025 Carol Sutton Lewis: But June never lost her interest in that mushroom cloud. Carol Sutton Lewis, Scientific American, 18 June 2025 The soaring ash rose to form a mushroom cloud high above Etna, Europe's highest active volcano, triggering a red alert for aviation crews in the region. Bill Chappell, NPR, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for mushroom cloud

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mushroom cloud was circa 1909

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Cite this Entry

“Mushroom cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mushroom%20cloud. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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