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:
El Nino warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
According to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, June brought above-average rainfall, while August was much wetter than normal.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
As much as 8 inches of rainfall is expected this weekend in southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia, increasing the risk of flash flooding, the weather service said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Two of them — in 1982-83 and 1997-98 — deluged downtown Los Angeles with over 30 inches of rain, more than double the area’s average annual rainfall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
Did it indeed seem probable, as he had once overheard Dunbar ask, that the answers to the riddles of creation would be supplied by people too ignorant to understand the mechanics of rainfall?
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
But sustained rainfall is needed over months rather than a few heavy rainfalls.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“Post-fire impacts can change over time, depending on rainfalls, runoffs and sediment movements,” said Eugenia Ermacora, manager of the nonprofit Surfrider Foundation’s L.A. chapter, which has partnered with Held’s team to collect samples.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026
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
Peeling bark from cinnamon tree branches is easiest after heavy rainfalls, which soften the bark, so harvests typically happen after monsoon seasons.
From Salon ● Dec. 11, 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.
