um·brel·la
ˌəm-ˈbre-lə 
especially Southern ˈəm-ˌbre-
1
: a collapsible shade for protection against weather consisting of fabric stretched over hinged ribs radiating from a central pole
especially
: a small one for carrying in the hand
2
: something which covers or embraces a broad range of elements or factors
decided to expand … by building new colleges under a federation umbrella—
Diane Ravitch
Diane Ravitch3
: the bell-shaped or saucer-shaped largely gelatinous structure that forms the chief part of the body of most jellyfishes : bell entry 1 sense 3b
4
: something which provides protection: such as
a
: defensive air cover (as over a battlefront)
b
: a heavy barrage
umbrellaed; umbrellaing
: to protect, cover, or provide with an umbrella
Examples of umbrella in a Sentence
Noun
The store sells Indian, Asian, and Middle Eastern foods under the umbrella of international cuisine.
Recent Examples on the WebToni Sutton, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
By cutting greenhouse gas emissions, humanity will spew out fewer planet-cooling aerosols—small particles of pollution that act like tiny umbrellas to bounce some of the sun’s energy back into space.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024
Participating in that defensive umbrella were the U.S. and other partners, including the United Kingdom and France, with assistance, remarkably, from some of Israel’s Arab neighbors including Jordan and even to some extent Saudi Arabia.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2024
The reality is that those themes are broad, and large things fit under those umbrellas.
—Hazlitt, 10 Apr. 2024
Under the umbrella term ‘healthcare,’ women’s health is not sufficiently prioritized here in the U.S., or in most countries around the world.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Sometimes, Tehran uses umbrella groups and joint operation rooms to coordinate diverse factions, and at other times intentionally fragments existing groups to maintain its influence over them.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
People with umbrellas during heavy rain in New York on Wednesday.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
To best enjoy your WOW visit, bring an umbrella, something dry to sit on and be sure to wear warm, layered clothing and good walking shoes.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
In notoriously windy Palm Springs, that siting is crucial during the gusty season (April through June) when cafe umbrellas elsewhere easily topple from the gusts.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2023
Noun
When the sun is beating down, this 7.5-foot umbrella will provide plenty of shade.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
By cutting greenhouse gas emissions, humanity will spew out fewer planet-cooling aerosols—small particles of pollution that act like tiny umbrellas to bounce some of the sun’s energy back into space.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024
Participating in that defensive umbrella were the U.S. and other partners, including the United Kingdom and France, with assistance, remarkably, from some of Israel’s Arab neighbors including Jordan and even to some extent Saudi Arabia.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2024
The reality is that those themes are broad, and large things fit under those umbrellas.
—Hazlitt, 10 Apr. 2024
Under the umbrella term ‘healthcare,’ women’s health is not sufficiently prioritized here in the U.S., or in most countries around the world.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Sometimes, Tehran uses umbrella groups and joint operation rooms to coordinate diverse factions, and at other times intentionally fragments existing groups to maintain its influence over them.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
People with umbrellas during heavy rain in New York on Wednesday.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
To best enjoy your WOW visit, bring an umbrella, something dry to sit on and be sure to wear warm, layered clothing and good walking shoes.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
Verb
Red umbrellas became a red rain, then umbrellas again.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
In notoriously windy Palm Springs, that siting is crucial during the gusty season (April through June) when cafe umbrellas elsewhere easily topple from the gusts.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'umbrella.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near umbrella
Cite this Entry
“Umbrella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/umbrella. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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