rainbow

American  

[reyn-boh] / ˈreɪnˌboʊ /

noun

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

• rainbowlike adjective
• rainbowy adjective

Etymology

Origin of rainbow

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

Example Sentences

Some, but not all, families see a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow if their child makes it as a professional and heap enormous pressure on their shoulders to succeed.

From BBC

A rainbow flashed through the spume and spray… then the waves smoothed out like a skin and suddenly there was no more river in front, and it was hard to breathe as he went over.

From Literature

The turbulent atmosphere means there could well be some fabulous clouds, along with odd rainbow.

From BBC

She pulls a few books off the shelves and hands them to Teddy, and then she leads us to an alcove with a rainbow shag rug on the ground and plastic bins on shelves.

From Literature

The size of a Ghirardelli chocolate square, it came in a similar rainbow of options.

From The Wall Street Journal