Definition

1. Noun:

   • A large mass of snow, ice, or rocks that falls suddenly down the side of a mountain: This is the primary physical meaning, describing a dangerous natural event.
   • A sudden, overwhelming quantity of things that arrive or occur at once: This figurative meaning describes anything that comes in a massive, often unmanageable, amount.

2. Verb:

   • To fall or descend like an avalanche: Used to describe snow, ice, or rocks moving rapidly down a slope.
   • To overwhelm with a large, sudden quantity: Used figuratively to describe being inundated by something.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The ski resort was closed after a major avalanche blocked the road.
  • The company's new product launch triggered an avalanche of customer orders.
• Verb:
  • After the heavy snowfall, the snow began to avalanche down the cliff face.
  • The celebrity's post avalanched with comments within minutes.

Advanced Usage

• "To be avalanched by something": To be overwhelmed or buried by a large amount of something, typically used figuratively.
  • The small support team was avalanched by requests after the software update.
• "Avalanche effect": A process where a small trigger initiates a rapidly growing chain of events. Common in physics (e.g., electron avalanche) and other fields.
  • In cryptography, a small change in the input should cause an avalanche effect, completely changing the output.

Variants and Related Words

• Snowslide (n): Another term for a snow avalanche.
• Avalanching (adj/gerund): The process or action of falling like an avalanche.
  • The avalanching snow created a thunderous roar.

Synonyms

• Noun: Deluge, flood, torrent, landslide (for the figurative sense); snowslide.
• Verb: Cascade, pour, tumble, overwhelm.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "Avalanche" is not commonly used in standard phrasal verb constructions. Its verbal use is typically intransitive or used with a direct object in a figurative sense.) - "Avalanche down/over": To fall or rush down or over something with great force. - Debris avalanched over the protective barriers.

Related Idioms

• "An avalanche of [something]": A very common idiom using the noun form to emphasize a huge, sudden quantity.
  • The scandal resulted in an avalanche of criticism from the press.
• "To start an avalanche": Often used figuratively to mean to initiate a process that leads to a large, unstoppable series of events.
  • His resignation speech started an avalanche of departures from the company.

Noun

1. a sudden appearance of an overwhelming number of things
   • the program brought an avalanche of mail
2. a slide of large masses of snow and ice and mud down a mountain

Verb

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