overcast

Everyday

1. Overcast describes a sky completely covered with grey clouds, so you cannot see the sun. tree →
2. (weather report) An overcast day is dull and grey but not necessarily rainy. tree →

In the lessons

In science weather lessons it is one of the words for cloud cover: clear, partly cloudy, cloudy, overcast. In stories a grey overcast sky often sets a gloomy or sad mood. Phrases: «an overcast sky», «overcast and cool», «a grey, overcast day».

Examples

• The sky was overcast, so we could not see the eclipse. tree →
• It was overcast all day but it never rained. tree →
• On overcast days you can still get sunburnt. tree →
• Write in your weather diary: Monday, overcast and cold. tree →
• The beach looked grey and gloomy under the overcast sky. tree →
• The forecast says overcast in the morning, sunny later. tree →
• Pilots fly above the overcast into bright sunshine. tree →
• ‘Ah, your majesty, they have been scattered day and night upon the sea, except when the sky was overcast,’ slyly answered Maie. tree →

Note

Adjective; not used with «very» much because it already means completely cloudy. Overcast does not mean raining. It looks like a verb «over + cast», but in weather talk it is an adjective.