Translate avalanche | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of avalanche
noun
1a mass of snow, ice, and rocks falling rapidly down a mountainside. a large mass of any material moving rapidly downhill:an avalanche of mud
2a sudden arrival or occurrence of something in overwhelming quantities:we have had an avalanche of applications
3 Physics a cumulative process in which a fast-moving ion or electron generates further ions and electrons by collision.
verb
[no object] 1(of a mass of snow, ice, and rocks) descend rapidly down a mountainside. [with object] engulf or carry off by an avalanche:the climbers were avalanched down the south face of the mountain
2 Physics undergo a rapid increase in conductivity due to an avalanche process.
