Updraft (Noun)
Meaning
A strong upward air current.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural phenomena.
Examples
- As the airplane soared over the mountains, it suddenly hit an updraft, sending it hundreds of feet higher in just seconds.
- Gliders and hang gliders use thermals, a type of updraft, to stay aloft and gain altitude.
- Seagulls can stay in one spot above the water, flapping their wings only occasionally, because they're caught in an updraft that supports their weight.
- A thermal updraft rose from the sun-baked ground, providing the rising air currents that fueled the development of the thunderstorm.
- Skydivers who got caught in the strong updraft above the cumulus clouds had to pull their emergency parachutes to prevent themselves from being lifted higher than their instructors could track them.