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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  

[rayn-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

Irvine said she first noticed the oily substance leaving a rainbow film on the river's surface and a strong acrid smell in early 2025.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Not since a 21-year-old Lance Armstrong in Oslo in 1993 had any man traded in his USA jersey for the world champion’s rainbow stripes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

"I see everything through rainbow eyes," he once told ABC.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 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

“I have no need to travel by rainbow when there is air everywhere,” Wind Being said.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Alongside her job, she now runs a charity, Jasper's Rainbow, and, like Richard, wrote a book about her experience.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

If there is such a thing as the Rainbow Bridge, Canyon View Ranch must be what it looks like on the other side.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 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

Penelope had not been so thoroughly entertained since reading Jump, Rainbow, Jump! for the first time.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

“There are storm clouds on the ground, but rainbows and sunshine in the air,” said Mark Coleman, chief commercial officer at Intervine, which helps wineries get their bottles on airlines like Delta and United.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

“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

Soon his parents and older sister arrive from the air, trailing rainbows behind their colorful capes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026

No bike rack, seventy-dollar uniforms, oblivious principal—this place was just rainbows and unicorns.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia