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Synonyms

rainfall

American  
[reyn-fawl] / ˈreɪnˌfɔl /

noun

  1. a fall or shower of rain.

  2. the amount of water falling in rain, snow, etc., within a given time and area, usually expressed as a hypothetical depth of coverage.

    a rainfall of 70 inches a year.
rainfall British  
/ ˈreɪnˌfɔːl /

noun

  1. precipitation in the form of raindrops

  2. meteorol the amount of precipitation in a specified place and time

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
rainfall Scientific  
/ rān′fôl′ /

  1. The quantity of water, usually expressed in millimeters or inches, that is precipitated in liquid form in a specified area and time interval. Rainfall is often considered to include solid precipitation such as snow, hail, and sleet as well.

Etymology

Origin of rainfall

First recorded in 1840–50; rain + fall

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.

New research from the University of Washington points to an unexpected culprit: a lack of spring rainfall.

From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026

Climate change is wreaking havoc on agriculture, bringing stronger storms, longer droughts, erratic rainfall and rising temperatures.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

However, when a super El Niño was predicted in 2015-16, California’s yearly rainfall totals ended up being about average.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

But El Niño can have much further reaching implications too, and can be associated with a weaker monsoon in India and flooding winter rainfall in the south-west US.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

“Did you know that fall colors have nothing to do with when fall comes? It’s all about how much rainfall you get. And the days getting shorter.”

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

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.