rain

[ reyn ]

/ reɪn /

noun

water that is condensed from the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere and falls to earth in drops more than 1/50 inch (0.5 mm) in diameter.Compare drizzle(def 6).

a rainfall, rainstorm, or shower: We had a light rain this afternoon.

rains, the rainy season; seasonal rainfall, as in India.

weather marked by steady or frequent rainfall: We had rain most of last summer.

a heavy and continuous descent or inflicting of anything: a rain of blows; a rain of vituperation.

verb (used without object)

(of rain) to fall (usually used impersonally with it as subject): It rained all night.

to fall like rain: Tears rained from their eyes.

to send down rain: The lightning flashed and the sky rained on us in torrents.

verb (used with object)

to send down in great quantities, as small pieces or objects: People on rooftops rained confetti on the parade.

to offer, bestow, or give in great quantity: to rain favors upon a person.

to deal, hurl, fire, etc., repeatedly: to rain blows on someone's head.

Verb Phrases

rain out, to cause, by raining, the cancellation or postponement of a sports event, performance, or the like: The double-header was rained out yesterday.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?

Question 1 of 10

earnest

full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.

a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for rain

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

SYNONYMS FOR rain

10 lavish, shower, pour.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR rain ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM rain

rain·less, adjectiverain·less·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rain

rain reign rein

Words nearby rain

railroading, railway, railwayman, raiment, raimondi, rain, rain cats and dogs, rain check, rain cloud, rain dance, rain date

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for rain

“Firestorms Will Rain on the Headquarters of War,” the title threatened.
Inside the ‘Surprisingly Great’ North Korean Hacker Hotel|Michael Daly|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He walked down to the beach anyway, in the rain, and went for a long swim.
Colm Toibin Describes The Creation Of His Quiet Masterpiece ‘Nora Webster’|Jennie Yabroff|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hordes of celebrants, swept by rain, surged over the five-year-old Brooklyn Bridge.
128 Years Old and Still a Looker: Happy Birthday to Lady Liberty|Elizabeth Mitchell|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe he had been at a card game—wherever he was, it was late and he was speeding in the rain.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

On Roles Murray Turned Down: Tom Cruise in Rain Man: “Something about Rain Man.”
Bill Murray’s Words of Wisdom: On Comedy, the Greatness of In-N-Out, and Searching For Great Love|Marlow Stern|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The rain of the preceding evening had besides so softened the ground that it would not well retain an impression.
The Knickerbocker, or The New-York Monthly Magazine, December 1843|Various
She had fairly to shout to be heard above the noise of the wind and rain.
The Motor Girls on the Coast|Margaret Penrose
Of Bonhag, who came to close the cell door, he asked whether it was going to rain, it looked so dark in the hall.
The Financier|Theodore Dreiser
You left at eight, and the rain was all over at ten minutes or a quarter past seven.
Martin Hewitt, Investigator|Arthur Morrison
The patter of the rain was heard no more upon the roof, and the wind blew just as it sometimes does late in the fall.
New National Fourth Reader|Charles J. Barnes and J. Marshall Hawkes

British Dictionary definitions for rain

rain

/ (reɪn) /

noun

precipitation from clouds in the form of drops of water, formed by the condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere
a fall of rain; shower
(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

regardless of the weather
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

Derived forms of rain

rainless, 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

Scientific definitions for rain

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.

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

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rain