rain

American  

[reyn] / reɪn /

noun

1. water that is condensed from the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere and falls to earth in drops more than 0.02 inch (0.5 millimeters) in diameter.

2. a rainfall, rainstorm, or shower.

   We had a light rain this afternoon.

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

4. weather marked by steady or frequent rainfall.

   We had rain most of last summer.

5. a heavy and continuous descent or inflicting of anything.

   a rain of blows; a rain of vituperation.

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verb (used without object)

1. (of rain) to fall (usually used impersonally with it as subject).

   It rained all night.

2. to fall like rain.

   Tears rained from their eyes.

3. to send down rain.

   The lightning flashed and the sky rained on us in torrents.

verb (used with object)

1. to send down in great quantities, as small pieces or objects.

   People on rooftops rained confetti on the parade.

2. to offer, bestow, or give in great quantity.

   to rain favors upon a person.

   Synonyms:

   pour, shower, lavish

3. to deal, hurl, fire, etc., repeatedly.

   to rain blows on someone's head.

verb phrase

1. 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.

idioms

1. rain cats and dogs, to rain very heavily or steadily.

   We canceled our picnic because it rained cats and dogs.

rain British  

/ reɪn /

noun

1. 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

2. a large quantity of anything falling rapidly or in quick succession

   a rain of abuse

3. 1. regardless of the weather

   2. regardless of circumstances

4. informal perfectly all right; perfectly fit

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verb

1. (intr; with it as subject) to be the case that rain is falling

2. to fall or cause to fall like rain

   the lid flew off and popcorn rained on everyone

3. (tr) to bestow in large measure

   to rain abuse on someone

4. informal to rain heavily; pour

5. cancelled or postponed on account of rain

rain Scientific  

/ rān /

1. 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.

2. See also hydrologic cycle

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rain More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing rain

• come in out of the rain
• it never rains but it pours
• right as rain

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Other Word Forms

• rainless adjective
• rainlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of rain

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English rein; Old English regn, rēn, cognate with Dutch, German regen, Old Norse regn, Gothic rign; (verb) Middle English reinen, Old English regnian

Explanation

Rain is what makes you go running for your umbrella. It's that water that comes down from sky when the dark clouds roll in. You can also use rain as a verb — as in the expression "Don't rain on my parade," which means don't ruin my good time by giving me bad news. You can also describe anything that comes down quickly and in quantity as something that rains down. On New Year's Eve, confetti rains down in Times Square. If you're unfortunate enough to find yourself in a war zone, you might hear bombs raining down around you.

Example Sentences

Injured on the first night of the battle, he was resting in the pouring rain beneath a tree when Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman found him.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

“This is a night I dreamed about for a long time,” he said, dressed in a red hoodie, shorts and Paddington-gone-Balenciaga rain boots.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

By shielding frozen crystals from the sun, heat, wind, and rain, melt is minimized.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

However, it will not be raining all the time, with dry interludes between the spells of rain.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

We were waked up some time in the middle of the night by a clap of thunder and a deluge of rain.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• deluge
• drizzle
• flood
• hail
• mist
• monsoon
• precipitation
• rainfall
• rainstorm
• shower
• showers
• sleet
• stream
• torrent