From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishavalancheav‧a‧lanche /ˈævəlɑːntʃ $ -læntʃ/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 HEa large mass of snow, ice, and rocks that falls down the side of a mountain Two skiers were killed in the avalanche.2 → an avalanche of something
Examples from the Corpus
avalanche• The original station in the open was destroyed by an avalanche with the loss of thirty-five lives in 1964.• The wave had had its ropes cut and was erupting in an avalanche of fury that would bury everything in its path.• Once an avalanche of bills has you buried, it seems impossible to dig your way out again.• At first, the night watchman thought it was an avalanche.• He was about a third of the way up -- 200 feet off the canyon floor -- when an avalanche began.• News of the freebie started a credibility slide of avalanche proportions.• This no-fat attitude worries me, because the avalanche of fat-free foods makes their goal nearly achievable.Origin avalanche (1700-1800) French French dialect lavantse, avalantse 