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.
a similar bow of colors, especially one appearing in the spray of a waterfall or fountain.
any brightly multicolored arrangement or display.
a wide variety or range; gamut.
a visionary goal.
He pursued the rainbow of a singing career for years before becoming a success.
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
any similar display of bright colours
( as modifier )
a rainbow pattern
an illusory hope
to chase rainbows
(modifier) of or relating to a political grouping together by several minorities, esp of different races
the rainbow coalition
The colors of the rainbow are violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English reinbowe, Old English regnboga, rēnboga; cognate with Old Norse regnbogi, German Regenbogen; see rain, bow 2
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When the match started, a handful of rainbow flags were sprinkled throughout the crowd in the Seattle Stadium -- but there was little other sign of the Pride event happening outside its walls.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
But inside The Loft bar, a rainbow balloon arch welcomes guests to an explosion of colour.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Mars could have delayed the rollout until it was able to replicate M&M’s full rainbow, but executives wanted to press ahead, said Anton Vincent, who leads the company’s North American snacks business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
The emoji-filled caption accompanies a slideshow of photos featuring Cuoco, Pelphrey and their 3-year-old Matilda posing with a cake that is pink on the inside and covered in rainbow sprinkles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Her brown hair was tight in a ponytail worn low on her head and her shirt had a rainbow.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
At a private reception for the show’s 50th anniversary at the Rainbow Room last year, Roberts presented Michaels with an antique watch made in 1975 with the SNL 50 logo painted on it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Snooker's Shaun Murphy narrowly missed out a second world title last month and has been recognised for his charity work, notably for the Rainbow Children's Hospice in the Midlands.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Authorities have listed 16 people suspected of illegal trading activity and violations of the Capital Markets Act, including Rainbow Robotics’ head and CFO.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
She also spread Theodore Payne’s Rainbow Mix wildflower seeds throughout the landscape, including California poppies, Arroyo lupine, Desert Bluebells and Clarkia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
A mile down the road from there was Rainbow Springs Campground, a private campsite with showers and a store.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
“This situation is clearly not all sunshine and rainbows, it’s cold and foggy.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 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
"Last season, we did some negative stuff but everything was all sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Now it sounds like we're going to be in a relegation battle - that's how it works in the world."
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025
It had white shell beaches, pale gold sand, and tumbled black rocks where the spray threw rainbows into the sky.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
