drizzle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to rain gently and steadily in fine drops; sprinkle.
It drizzled throughout the night.
-
to fall in fine drops.
verb (used with object)
-
to pour in a fine stream.
Drizzle melted butter over the breadcrumb topping.
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to rain or let fall in fine drops or particles; sprinkle.
He then drizzled grated cheese over the hot pasta.
noun
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a very light rain.
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Meteorology. precipitation consisting of numerous minute droplets of water less than 0.02 inch (0.5 millimeter) in diameter.
noun
verb
-
(intr) to rain lightly
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(tr) to moisten with tiny droplets
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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drizzlesimple
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drizzlessimple
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have drizzledperfect
-
has drizzledperfect
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am drizzlingprogressive
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are drizzlingprogressive
-
is drizzlingprogressive
-
have been drizzlingperfect progressive
-
has been drizzlingperfect progressive
Past
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drizzledsimple
-
had drizzledperfect
-
was drizzlingprogressive
-
were drizzlingprogressive
-
had been drizzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of drizzle
First recorded in 1535–45; perhaps back formation from dryseling, dissimilated variant of Middle English drysning “fall (of dew)”; akin to Old English drēosan “to fall”; cognate with Old Saxon driosan, Gothic driusan
Explanation
Drizzle is a very light rain shower. You might grab an umbrella before you head out for a walk in the drizzle. When the weather report calls for drizzle, you know it's going to be a damp day, although you might leave your galoshes and rain suit at home. Drizzle is heavier than mist, but just a bit — and you can use it as a verb, too: "It's supposed to drizzle this evening, but our picnic is still on." The word drizzle stems from the now-obsolete drysning, "a falling of dew," from the Old English drēosan, "to fall."
Vocabulary lists containing drizzle
Raining Cats and Dogs
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Weather
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Thousands of protesters started gathering from early Monday, defying a steady monsoon drizzle and police barricades put up on routes leading to the site.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Large raindrops fall five times faster than drizzle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
"Today I was going to go for a walk and it started to drizzle a bit so I thought I'd go on my walking pad," she says.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
My typical breakfast is eggs with Celtic salt and I’ll drizzle some olive oil on it.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
A light drizzle was falling on the travelers.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
You can add syrup drizzles on top, you can add soft-top cold foam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
In a video uploaded to YouTube last year, home cook and food influencer Alexa Santos scores a wheel of brie, drizzles it with honey, and flips it into a hot cast-iron pan.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2024
Another cloudy, cool weekend is on tap for Southern California, with a strengthening marine layer expected to drop temperatures and possibly bring drizzles by the end of the week.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2024
He clearly relishes soft playing, with sensitive effects of distant bells and moonlit drizzles in Messiaen’s “La Colombe” and “Le Nombre Léger,” and a murmured sotto voce in Chopin’s Op.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
His laughter forms a pale-blue cloud that kind of drizzles down as it dissolves.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Growing up, my mother would make a simple salad of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and lemons, drizzled with salt, served alongside homemade curries, spiced rice and steamed fish fillets wrapped in banana leaf parcels.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026
“Meghan imagined what it would taste like to have a sage honey drizzled on her Thanksgiving turkey,” the newsletter revealed.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 4, 2025
By contrast, toxically naive Glinda is convinced that everyone could be kind if she drizzled them with honey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025
“Everyone likes a chicken sandwich,” he notes, but while older consumers still drink hot, black coffee, younger ones gravitate toward colorful energy drinks and iced concoctions that look perfect drizzled with caramel on TikTok.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025
Ocean creatures drizzled in sauces or begging to be dipped in spicy concoctions.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
A rally this month organized by the graduate student union and faculty groups drew well over 100 people despite drizzling rain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Extra virgin olive oil, for example, is packed with antioxidants and beneficial compounds but its low smoke point means it is better for salad dressings or drizzling over food rather than deep frying.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2025
The pair are inspired by the sonic sounds of this otherworldly land: swooping flocks of birds, squelchy moss, water drops drizzling down an ancient stone wall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2025
The bones, wrapped up in a bundle like Santa Claus’ bag of toys, slapped up and down on the back of the priest who carried them, drizzling grease down his back.
From Slate ● Dec. 15, 2024
It was around eight o’clock and the streets were wet under a drizzling rain.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
