downpour
Americannoun
-
downpours
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of downpour
Explanation
A downpour is a rainstorm, especially a very heavy one. If you get caught unexpectedly in a downpour, you'll wish you brought an umbrella. A downpour is exactly what it sounds like: torrential, pouring rain. A downpour, even one that's brief, can cause flooding in streets and basements. In some parts of the world, there are whole seasons that regularly bring downpours, while other places experience droughts so severe that people wish for a downpour. The word has been in use since the mid-19th century.
Vocabulary lists containing downpour
Water Hazard: Words for Too Much Moisture
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Raining Cats and Dogs
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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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:
The downpour turned the path—uphill, then downhill, then uphill again—into a slick mess of red clay and rock; every step had my blisters screaming in a new language.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The Braves hadn’t faced Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas since their 34-31 loss in 2014 to the Gaels amid thunder, lightning, wind and a downpour of rain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
What makes things even more difficult is that it’s impossible, as of now, to pinpoint the exact time and location of a downpour, even though it can be gauged with marvelous accuracy.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Floods, landslides and accidents driven by a nine-day downpour equivalent to more than a month's worth of rain in some areas have killed at least 13 people in the northern Philippines, rescuers said Monday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Briefly he glanced back through the increasing downpour, at the grove of trees where the woman stood from time to time.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
Sudden downpours can trigger mudslides—an unexpected hailstorm lashed Drolma’s SUV as she drove her haul back to town on the recent August day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
A landslide struck a car park on Japan's Mount Fuji, with the final day of the volcano's summer climbing season on Thursday marred by downpours and dense mist.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
When I visit, it is a hot and humid day, there are ominous dark clouds in the sky, and heavy, thundery downpours are hitting the surrounding region.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
For the rest of the day expect showers and longer spells of rain, with heavy downpours and thunderstorms possible, especially across western Scotland, Wales and north-west England.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The rainy season had started, and though it was only drizzling now, in the days ahead, we’d face many downpours.
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
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.
