Meanings
plural mushroom clouds
- A large cloud of smoke, flame and debris that rises into the sky as a result of a large explosion, especially after a nuclear explosion, characterized by a long shaft rising from the ground into a much-larger or more-spread-out top, reminiscent of a mushroom in shape.
This is Radio Clash underneath a mushroom cloud
1981, “This Is Radio Clash”, performed by The Clash1 more example
It's Christmas at ground zero / There's panic in the crowd / We can dodge debris / While we trim the tree / Underneath a mushroom cloud
1986, "Weird Al" Yankovic, “Christmas at Ground Zero”, in Polka Party!
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna large cloud of rubble and dust shaped like a mushroom and rising into the sky after an explosion (especially of a nuclear bomb)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Catalan núvol de fong, fong nuclear
- núvol de fongmushroom-shaped cloud
- fong nuclearmushroom-shaped cloud
Chinese Mandarin 蘑菇雲 /蘑菇云
- 蘑菇雲 /蘑菇云 (móguyún)mushroom-shaped cloud
Czech atomový hřib
- atomový hřibmushroom-shaped cloud
Danish paddehatsky, paddehattesky
- paddehatskymushroom-shaped cloud
- paddehatteskymushroom-shaped cloud
Dutch paddenstoelwolk
- paddenstoelwolkmushroom-shaped cloud
Finnish sienipilvi
- sienipilvimushroom-shaped cloud
French champignon atomique
- champignon atomiquemushroom-shaped cloud
German Pilzwolke, Atompilz
- Pilzwolkemushroom-shaped cloud
- Atompilzmushroom-shaped cloud
Japanese 茸雲
- 茸雲 (kinokogumo)mushroom-shaped cloud
Polish grzyb, grzyb atomowy
- grzybmushroom-shaped cloud
- grzyb atomowymushroom-shaped cloud
Portuguese nuvem de cogumelo, nuvem cogumelo
- nuvem de cogumelomushroom-shaped cloud
- nuvem cogumelomushroom-shaped cloud
- nuvem em cogumelomushroom-shaped cloud
Russian грибови́дное о́блако
- грибови́дное о́блако (gribovídnoje óblako)mushroom-shaped cloud
Spanish nube de hongo
- nube de hongomushroom-shaped cloud
Swedish svampmoln
- svampmolnmushroom-shaped cloud
Cite this entry
mushroom cloud. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mushroom%20cloud
“mushroom cloud.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mushroom%20cloud. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mushroom cloud,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mushroom%20cloud.
Source: mushroom cloud on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.