noun
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precipitation in the form of raindrops
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meteorol the amount of precipitation in a specified place and time
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rainfall
Vocabulary lists containing rainfall
The Water Cycle - Introductory
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Earth Science - Middle School
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The Water Cycle - Middle School and High School
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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.
See Examples For:
Scientists broadly agree that the globalized weather impacts of El Nino stack on top of climate change -- exacerbating rainfall in some places, drought and heat in others.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
One possibility is that water from rainfall or melting ice may have destabilised the ground or ice, triggering a chain reaction.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Hatim Sharif, a hydrologist at the University of Texas San Antonio, told AFP one thing that struck him was the lack of rainfall beforehand.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Europe is enduring a summer of record heat and sparse rainfall, as the consequences of a severe El Niño weather system reverberate across the globe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
She heard the music of rainfall, the cry of the wind, and the roar of the sea.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Most notably, in May 2017, some 6 million cubic yards of earth moved after torrential rainfalls, adding 15 acres of coastline.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2024
The research team considered how these urban land changes might affect weather extremes like heat waves, cold waves, heavy rainfalls and severe thunderstorms.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2023
“So if the rainfalls are spread out in a way that sustains plant growth, you can see some very significant population increases.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
Other parts of the country witnessed heavy rainfalls and floods.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2023
The rainy season in Sierra Leone falls between May and October, with the heaviest rainfalls in July, August, and September.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
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.
