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View synonyms for

avalanche

[ av-uh-lanch, -lahnch ]

noun

  1. a large mass of snow, ice, etc., detached from a mountain slope and sliding or falling suddenly downward.
  2. anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity:

    an avalanche of misfortunes; an avalanche of fan mail.

  3. Also called Townsend avalanche. Physics, Chemistry. a cumulative ionization process in which the ions and electrons of one generation undergo collisions that produce a greater number of ions and electrons in succeeding generations.


verb (used without object)

avalanched, avalanching.
  1. to come down in, or like, an avalanche.

verb (used with object)

avalanched, avalanching.
  1. to overwhelm with an extremely large amount of anything; swamp.

avalanche

/ ˈæəˌɑːԳʃ /

noun

    1. a fall of large masses of snow and ice down a mountain
    2. a fall of rocks, sand, etc
  1. a sudden or overwhelming appearance of a large quantity of things

    an avalanche of letters

  2. physics a group of ions or electrons produced by a single ion or electron as a result of a collision with some other form of matter
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to come down overwhelmingly (upon)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

avalanche

  1. The sudden fall or slide of a large mass of material down the side of a mountain. Avalanches may contain snow, ice, rock, soil, or a mixture of these materials. Avalanches can be triggered by changes in temperature, by sound vibrations, or by vibrations in the earth itself.
  2. A process resulting in the production of large numbers of ionized particles, in which electrons or ions collide with molecules, with each collision itself producing an additional electron or ion that in turn collides with other molecules. Avalanches are what generate the pulses of electric current that are registered by Geiger counters.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of avalanche1

1755–65; < French < dial. (Savoy) avalantse, alteration (by association with avaler to descend rapidly) of laventse < pre-Latin (perhaps Ligurian) *lavanca, or reshaping of Late Latin īԲ landslide (derivative of Latin ī to slide) with a pre-Latin suffix -anca
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Word History and Origins

Origin of avalanche1

C18: from French, by mistaken division from la valanche, from valanche, from (northwestern Alps) dialect lavantse; related to Old Provençal lavanca, of obscure origin
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And they couldn’t stop an avalanche that hit them with the kind of force that knocked all the energy out of the building.

From

A British man has died after he was buried by an avalanche at a ski resort in the French Alps, local officials have said.

From

The Alertswiss app warned of the risk of avalanches and falling trees in Valais as well as major disruption to transport.

From

“It’s been a real avalanche,” said local historian and tour guide Kim Cooper.

From

In the first episode, when he cracks a murder case by distilling it into a logic puzzle, he batters his audience into submission with an avalanche of nerdy terms.

From

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