brood above

C1 formal inseparable intransitive

In simple words

To hang over a place in a dark and scary way, like storm clouds.

Literal meaning: A bird brooding (sitting on eggs) above — extended to describe something that sits heavily overhead like a brooding bird.

Meanings

1 C1 idiomatic formal

rare

(Literary) To hang heavily or loom over a place in a dark or threatening way.

"Storm clouds brooded above the ancient ruins, casting everything in shadow."

Grammar: inseparable

Usage notes

Distinctly literary and poetic. Found in descriptive prose and poetry to create an atmosphere of gloom or threat. Not used in ordinary conversation. The subject is almost always a non-human element: clouds, mountains, darkness, etc.

Commonly used with

clouds mountains darkness silence mist shadow

Forms

Base

brood above

I/you/we/they

3rd person

broods above

he/she/it

Past simple

brooded above

yesterday

Past participle

brooded above

have + pp

-ing form

brooding above

continuous

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