mushroom cloud

NOUN

large ominous cloud

Synonyms

WEAK

fallout nuclear fallout radioactive cloud

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Harry Truman’s legacy froze the moment the mushroom cloud rose over Hiroshima.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

I crept to my one window and pulled aside the curtain, expecting to see a mushroom cloud rising over the Los Angeles basin.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024

Never mind that the rigors of portraying doomsday — including a disquieting shot of a mushroom cloud floating over Kansas — deeply affected Meyer’s cast, which also included JoBeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg and John Lithgow.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2023

Some images showed Margot Robbie with a mushroom cloud hairstyle.

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2023

Floyd Chaceley, who never smiles, on my right, laughing like Lord Satan in a mushroom cloud.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell