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• rainbow
  rainbow

  noun

  a bow or arc of prismatic colors appearing in the heavens opposite the sun and caused by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in drops of rain.
• Rainbow
  Rainbow

  noun

  a member of the Rainbow Guides, the youngest group of girls (aged 5-7 years) in The Guide Association

rainbow

American  

[reyn-boh] / ˈreɪnˌboʊ /

noun

• rainbows
  plural

1. a bow or arc of prismatic colors appearing in the heavens opposite the sun and caused by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in drops of rain.

2. a similar bow of colors, especially one appearing in the spray of a waterfall or fountain.

3. any brightly multicolored arrangement or display.

4. a wide variety or range; gamut.

5. a visionary goal.

   He pursued the rainbow of a singing career for years before becoming a success.

6. rainbow trout.

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adjective

1. having a diverse membership; including representatives from different races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, etc.: LGBTQ Pride month celebrates all of the rainbow community.

   Archbishop Desmond Tutu famously described postapartheid South Africa as a rainbow nation.

   LGBTQ Pride month celebrates all of the rainbow community.

   Candidates are appealing to a rainbow coalition of minority voters.

rainbow ¹ British  

/ ˈreɪnˌbəʊ /

noun

1. a bow-shaped display in the sky of the colours of the spectrum, caused by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays through rain or mist

2. 1. any similar display of bright colours

   2. ( as modifier )

      a rainbow pattern

3. an illusory hope

   to chase rainbows

4. (modifier) of or relating to a political grouping together by several minorities, esp of different races

   the rainbow coalition

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Rainbow ² British  

/ ˈreɪnˌbəʊ /

noun

1. a member of the Rainbow Guides, the youngest group of girls (aged 5-7 years) in The Guide Association

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rainbow Scientific  

/ rān′bō′ /

1. An arc-shaped spectrum of color seen in the sky opposite the Sun, especially after rain, caused by the refraction and reflection of sunlight by droplets of water suspended in the air. Secondary rainbows that are larger and paler sometimes appear within the primary arc with the colors reversed (red being inside). These result from two reflections and refractions of a light ray inside a droplet.

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rainbow Cultural  

1. The colored arch in the sky that is often seen after a rain. The rainbow is formed when water droplets in the air cause the diffraction of sunlight.

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Discover More

The colors of the rainbow are violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rainbowlike
  adjective
• rainbowy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rainbows
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rainbow

First recorded before 1000; Middle English reinbowe, Old English regnboga, rēnboga; cognate with Old Norse regnbogi, German Regenbogen; see rain, bow ²

Explanation

That colorful arc you sometimes see in the sky right after it stops raining? That's a rainbow. The scientific explanation for a rainbow's appearance is that light is refracted in water droplets, briefly revealing the full visible spectrum of light — all of the colors that make it up. While there are actually about a hundred colors in the visible spectrum, we tend to describe a rainbow as having six or seven. In Old English, there were two words for this phenomenon: scurboga, or "shower-bow," proved to be less popular than renboga, "rain bow."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rainbow Rainbow rainbows

The races for the coveted rainbow jerseys take place in Montreal, Canada, from 20-27 September, live across the BBC.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

I bedazzle pieces I collect and I like how it reflects the color and turns into a rainbow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

When you join, you hatch a pet bird, and as you complete real-life tasks, your Finch is rewarded with rainbow coins that can be spent on outfits and furniture.

From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026

The signature JonnyPop is a rainbow stack of cherry, orange, lemon, lime, blue raspberry and grape.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Just inside the door was a case of jelly beans arranged in a rainbow of colors.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

His favourite book for years was one written by Parton herself: I Am A Rainbow.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

A woman called Catherine Taylor Dawson, who ran in Cardiff North in 2005 for the Vote for Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket party, won a single vote there, for instance.

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026

The day before Mr. Clinton was to appear at the Rainbow Coalition, he learned that Sister Souljah had done so as well.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

He founded and owns mining company African Rainbow Minerals and is Africa's eighth richest person, with a personal wealth estimated at $3.5 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

But he knew that if he did, Prince Rainbow would come and they would end in more trouble.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

“This situation is clearly not all sunshine and rainbows, it’s cold and foggy.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

There are groups of friends, families and even dogs - it's like a big summer fête, with rainbows and glitter.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

It was built around artist Ned Kahn’s existing 100-foot-long Rainbow Arbor sculpture with mist sprayers that create rainbows in sunlight as guests walk through.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

"This is not going to be the festival of rainbows and kisses as it was in the past," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025

If Ivy could draw herself right now, she’d be wrapped in clouds and down blankets, pillows and pastel-colored rainbows.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake