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
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.
El Nino is a natural climate occurrence that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds and rainfall patterns and erratic weather.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
And a “strong” El Niño in 2023-24 coincided with a pretty wet year for Southern California, with downtown L.A. receiving 155% of its typical annual rainfall.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
The study's findings, said the authors, show that extreme rainfall events can directly threaten the survival of great ape populations.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
TFA can return to Earth's surface through rainfall or settle directly from the atmosphere onto land and water.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
That trees shed their leaves not according to season, but according to rainfall.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
