drizzle

American  

[driz-uhl] / ˈdrɪz əl /

verb (used without object)

• drizzles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drizzled,
  past participle,  past
• drizzling
  present participle

1. to rain gently and steadily in fine drops; sprinkle.

   It drizzled throughout the night.

2. to fall in fine drops.

---

verb (used with object)

• drizzles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drizzled,
  past participle,  past
• drizzling
  present participle

1. to pour in a fine stream.

   Drizzle melted butter over the breadcrumb topping.

2. to rain or let fall in fine drops or particles; sprinkle.

   He then drizzled grated cheese over the hot pasta.

noun

1. a very light rain.

2. Meteorology. precipitation consisting of numerous minute droplets of water less than 0.02 inch (0.5 millimeter) in diameter.

drizzle British  

/ ˈdrɪzəl /

noun

1. very light rain, specifically consisting of droplets less than 0.5 mm in diameter

---

verb

1. (intr) to rain lightly

2. (tr) to moisten with tiny droplets

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• drizzly
  adjective
• drizzly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• drizzling
  present
• drizzled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• drizzle
  simple
• drizzles
  simple
• have drizzled
  perfect
• has drizzled
  perfect
• am drizzling
  progressive
• are drizzling
  progressive
• is drizzling
  progressive
• have been drizzling
  perfect progressive
• has been drizzling
  perfect progressive

Past

• drizzled
  simple
• had drizzled
  perfect
• was drizzling
  progressive
• were drizzling
  progressive
• had been drizzling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will drizzle
  simple
• will have drizzled
  perfect
• will be drizzling
  progressive
• will have been drizzling
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drizzle drizzles drizzled drizzling

However, weather fronts tied in with the southerly winds mean that most areas will be cloudy with occasional spells of rain or drizzle.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

“Chances for drizzle and light rain linger through Friday,” the agency said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Once finished, transfer the baby bok choy to your bowl of ramen and drizzle with sesame oil.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

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

Cold drizzle sprayed across the deck, forming ice on the rails and the ropes.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

You can add syrup drizzles on top, you can add soft-top cold foam.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

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

The resulting drizzles and smears around my station confirmed that I'm not destined for a new career, but the raw materials assured the final product would still be epic.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2023

Possible light drizzles are in the forecast for Friday, with rainfall totals around a one-tenth of an inch for Los Angeles County, according to the National Weather Service.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2022

The mountains of steaming basmati rice were capped with drizzles of saffron butter.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

The next morning, I drizzled a little olive oil over the strata, put it into a 350-degree oven and went to shower.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 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

The jeepney will circle the neighborhood while selling halo-halo, a sweet concoction of ice, milk, red beans, tapioca pearls, jackfruit, and coconut flesh—with even sweeter condensed milk drizzled on to stir in.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

The last step was drizzling a tablespoon of good olive oil over the batter which was a trick I had learned in one of the myriad baking newsletters I now subscribed to.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

Though it’s expected to start drizzling overnight, Angelenos likely won’t see heavy rainfall until late Monday afternoon, with showers predicted through the evening.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026

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

It starts drizzling, and in seconds, it pours.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

Related Words

• dribble
• spray
• sprinkle