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definitions

Idioms

    rain cats and dogs, Informal. to rain very heavily or steadily: We canceled our picnic because it rained cats and dogs.

Origin of rain

before 900; (noun) Middle English rein; Old English regn, rēn, cognate with Dutch, German regen, Old Norse regn, Gothic rign; (v.) Middle English reinen, Old English regnian
Related formsrain·less, adjectiverain·less·ness, noun
Can be confusedrain reign rein

Synonyms for rain

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rain ON THESAURUS.COM
10. lavish, shower, pour.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for rain

rainfall, deluge, hail, torrent, shower, flood, stream, mist, precipitation, drizzle, sleet, rainstorm, monsoon, pouring, sprinkle, condensation, spit, cloudburst, pour, flurry

Examples from the Web for rain

Contemporary Examples of rain

Historical Examples of rain

British Dictionary definitions for rain

rain

noun

  1. precipitation from clouds in the form of drops of water, formed by the condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere
  2. a fall of rain; shower
  3. (in combination)a raindrop Related adjectives: hyetal, pluvious
a large quantity of anything falling rapidly or in quick successiona rain of abuse
rain or shine or come rain or shine
  1. regardless of the weather
  2. regardless of circumstances
right as rain British informal perfectly all right; perfectly fit

verb

(intr ; with it as subject) to be the case that rain is falling
(often with it as subject) to fall or cause to fall like rainthe lid flew off and popcorn rained on everyone
(tr) to bestow in large measureto rain abuse on someone
rain cats and dogs informal to rain heavily; pour
rained off cancelled or postponed on account of rain
US and Canadian term: rained out
See also rains
Derived Formsrainless, adjective

Word Origin for rain

Old English regn; related to Old Frisian rein, Old High German regan, Gothic rign
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for rain
n.

Old English regn "rain," from Proto-Germanic *regna- (cf. Old Saxon regan, Old Frisian rein, Middle Dutch reghen, Dutch regen, German regen, Old Norse regn, Gothic rign "rain"), with no certain cognates outside Germanic, unless it is from a presumed PIE *reg- "moist, wet," which may be the source of Latin rigare "to wet, moisten" (cf. irrigate). Rain dance is from 1867; rain date in listings for outdoor events is from 1948. To know enough to come in out of the rain (usually with a negative) is from 1590s. Rainshower is Old English renscur.

v.

Old English regnian, usually contracted to rinan; see rain (n.), and cf. Old Norse rigna, Swedish regna, Danish regne, Old High German reganon, German regnen, Gothic rignjan. Related: Rained; raining. Transferred and figurative use of other things that fall as rain (blessings, tears, etc.) is recorded from c.1200.

To rain on (someone's) parade is attested from 1941. Phrase to rain cats and dogs is attested from 1738 (variation rain dogs and polecats is from 1650s), of unknown origin, despite intense speculation. One of the less likely suggestions is pets sliding off sod roofs when the sod got too wet during a rainstorm. (Ever see a dog react to a rainstorm by climbing up on an exposed roof?) Probably rather an extension of cats and dogs as proverbial for "strife, enmity" (1570s).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
rain in Science

rain

[rān]

Water that condenses from water vapor in the atmosphere and falls to Earth as separate drops from clouds. Rain forms primarily in three ways: at weather fronts, when the water vapor in the warmer mass of air cools and condenses; along mountain ranges, when a warm mass of air is forced to rise over a mountain and its water vapor cools and condenses; and by convection in hot climates, when the water vapor in suddenly rising masses of warm air cools and condenses. See also hydrologic cycle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with rain

rain

In addition to the idioms beginning with rain

  • rain cats and dogs
  • rain check
  • rain on one's parade
  • rain or shine
  • rain out
  • rainy day, a

also see:

  • come in out of the rain
  • it never rains but it pours
  • right as rain
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.