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gullywasher

American  
[guhl-ee-wosh-er, -waw-sher] / ˈgʌl iˌwɒʃ ər, -ˌwɔ ʃər /

noun

Chiefly Midland and Western U.S.

  1. a usually short, heavy rainstorm.

Etymology

Origin of gullywasher

First recorded in 1900–05; gully 1 + washer

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.

Not a passing shower or a tropical gullywasher, not some effete drizzle but constant, temperate rainfall lasting for several hours.

From Washington Post

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.