Synonyms

rain gauge

American

noun

an instrument for measuring rainfall.

rain gauge British

noun

Also called: pluviometer. an instrument for measuring rainfall or snowfall, consisting of a cylinder covered by a funnel-like lid

"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

Etymology

Origin of rain gauge

First recorded in 1760–70

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.

A rain gauge picked up 0.74 of an inch on Topanga Canyon Boulevard on the edge of the fire boundary, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2025

Almost a month's rain fell on Sunday at the Birds Hill rain gauge on the edge of Exmoor.

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2023

Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the county where a rain gauge tallied more than 14.9 inches of rain.

From Washington Post • Aug. 22, 2022

If it rained, but you don't have a rain gauge, or you're not sure how much it rained, check the local weather information.

From Salon • May 29, 2022

She asked for a barometer and an anemometer and a rain gauge for Christmas, and hung them outside her bedroom window.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023