cloud over

cloud over

1. To become overcast, as of the sky. Enjoy this sunshine while it lasts because the sky is supposed to cloud over this afternoon. I wouldn't go outside right now—it looks to be clouding over. The raincoat is overkill now, but if the sky clouds over later like it's supposed to, then I'll look like a genius.

2. To become difficult to see through or opaque. I wouldn't try to put makeup on in the bathroom just yet—the mirror is still clouded over from when I showered. Ugh, my defroster must not be working because my windshield is completely clouded over. How am I supposed to drive like this? My glasses clouded over as soon as I stepped into the warm store from the freezing cold night.

See also: cloud, over

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

cloud over

 

1. Lit. [for the sky] to fill with clouds; [for the sun] to be obscured by clouds. It was beginning to cloud over, so we went inside. The sky clouded over and it began to get chilly.

2. Fig. [for something once clear] to become opaque; to become clouded. My vision seemed to cloud over, and I could see very little. The mirror clouded over as the steam rose from the hot water in the sink.

See also: cloud, over

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

cloud over

Also, cloud up.

1. Become overcast with clouds, as in It's clouding over now, so it may rain soon, or It was too hot and sunny, but after a while the sky clouded up and we ventured outside. [Mid-1700s]

2. Become opaque, misty, or dim, as in I'm sweating so much that my eyeglasses are clouded over.

See also: cloud, over

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.