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 Olympic champion and the world silver medallist over 800m embrace by the side of the track after surviving their latest brutal training session together during an east Manchester downpour.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 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
The gray skies part, the clouds lift and a warm maternal comfort spreads across the film, creeping in like the sun’s rays falling on cobblestones still shining from a sudden downpour.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
But French fans, despite their tricolore turnouts up and down the East Coast, became even grumpier during their win over Iraq after enduring a lengthy delay and biblical downpour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Unmindful of this steel downpour, the villagers cheered and began dancing on the platforms.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
The torrential downpours late Thursday triggered landslide warnings and power outages, with forecasters issuing the highest-level heavy rain warning for the Chiba region for the first time.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Stephane Baron, from Charente-Maritime, western France, is bracing for disastrous harvests, due to downpours in February and successive heatwaves in May and June.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Some heavy downpours and thunderstorms are also possible, which could also bring localised disruption.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Everyone worried about the elements: ominous reports about downpours, lightning, and gusts of wind powerful enough to impress a congressman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
In mid-November the rains started in earnest, chilly, drenching day-long downpours that left beads of moisture even on the inside walls.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
