Definitions for avalanche
ˈæv əˌlæntʃ, -ˌlɑntʃavalanche

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

1. avalanchenoun

   a slide of large masses of snow and ice and mud down a mountain

2. avalancheverb

   a sudden appearance of an overwhelming number of things

   "the program brought an avalanche of mail"

3. avalanche, roll downverb

   gather into a huge mass and roll down a mountain, of snow

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. avalanchenoun

   A large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down a mountain side, or falling down a precipice.

2. avalanchenoun

   A fall of earth, rocks, etc., similar to that of an avalanche of snow or ice.

3. avalanchenoun

   A sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx of anything.

4. avalanchenoun

   Anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity (like a barrage, blitz, etc).

5. avalancheverb

   To descend like an avalanche.

6. avalancheverb

   To come down upon; to overwhelm.

   The shelf broke and the boxes avalanched the workers.

7. Etymology: Swiss French, from (Savoy) avalançhe, blend of aval ‘downhill’ and standard lavençhe, from labanka (cf. Occitan lavanca, Italian valanga), alteration of labina ‘landslide’ (cf. Franco-Provençal (Dauphiné) lavino, Romansch lavina), from Latin labi ‘to slip, slide’.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Avalanche

   An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earthquakes. Primarily composed of flowing snow and air, large avalanches have the capability to capture and move ice, rocks, and trees. Avalanches occur in two general forms, or combinations thereof: slab avalanches made of tightly packed snow, triggered by a collapse of an underlying weak snow layer, and loose snow avalanches made of looser snow. After being set off, avalanches usually accelerate rapidly and grow in mass and volume as they capture more snow. If an avalanche moves fast enough, some of the snow may mix with the air, forming a powder snow avalanche. Though they appear to share similarities, avalanches are distinct from slush flows, mudslides, rock slides, and serac collapses. They are also different from large scale movements of ice. Avalanches can happen in any mountain range that has an enduring snowpack. They are most frequent in winter or spring, but may occur at any time of year. In mountainous areas, avalanches are among the most serious natural hazards to life and property, so great efforts are made in avalanche control. There are many classification systems for the different forms of avalanches, which vary according to their users' needs. Avalanches can be described by their size, destructive potential, initiation mechanism, composition, and dynamics.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Avalanchenoun

   a large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down a mountain side, or falling down a precipice

2. Avalanchenoun

   a fall of earth, rocks, etc., similar to that of an avalanche of snow or ice

3. Avalanchenoun

   a sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx of anything

4. Etymology: [F. avalanche, fr. avaler to descend, to let down, from aval down, downward; (L. ad) + val, L. vallis, valley. See Valley.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Avalanche

   Avalanche is a Marvel Comics supervillain and an enemy of the X-Men. A Cretan mutant, Avalanche possesses the ability to generate seismic waves from his hands that are strong enough to create earthquakes of varying sizes and to disintegrate any substance other than living tissue. He has been a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants and Freedom Force. The animated series X-Men: Evolution portrays him as Lance Alvers, a misguided mutant teenager and one time romantic love interest of the X-Men's Shadowcat.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Avalanche

   av′al-ansh, n. a mass of snow and ice sliding down from a mountain: a snow-slip.—v.i. Avāle′ (Spens.), to descend.—v.t. (Spens.) to cause to descend. [Fr. avaler, to slip down—L. ad, to, vall-em, the valley.]

Matched Categories

1. • Slide

How to pronounce avalanche?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say avalanche in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of avalanche in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of avalanche in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of avalanche in a Sentence

1. Stanislaw J. Lec:

   Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty.

2. Anna Filatovskaya:

   For Serbia, the demand has been growing like an avalanche, it’s as if all our company is doing these days is selling tours for Serbia.

3. George Burns:

   No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.

4. Arne Eilertsen:

   Precipitation, avalanche danger, wind and darkness make such a rescue operation demanding.

5. Mike Pence:

   The media is piling on with unsubstantiated claims … while they ignore an avalanche of hard evidence about corruption, pay to play, political favoritism emanating out of Hillary Clinton's years as secretary of state.

Popularity rank by frequency of use