avalanche
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
avuhlanchSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈævəlæntʃ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
by extension
A sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx; anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity.
A large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down a mountain side, or falling down a precipice.
A slide of large masses of snow and ice and mud down a mountain
A fall of earth, rocks, etc., similar to that of an avalanche of snow or ice.
verb
transitive
To come down upon; to overwhelm.
transitive
To propel downward like an avalanche.
intransitive
To descend like an avalanche.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx; anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity.
Used this way, avalanche is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It comes across as direct, sometimes bluntly so.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Sudden and forceful
- Usage feel
- Blunt and forceful
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use avalanche
- “The mountain patrol warned of a dangerous avalanche risk after the heavy snow.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Perennial herb having large white flowers marked with orange.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “avalanche” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.