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:
Though there was some rain this weekend, the driest locations - including central, southern and eastern England - saw little, if any, meaningful rainfall.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
It shifts rainfall and temperature patterns across major agricultural regions, increasing the odds of drought in some areas and excessive rain in others.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
A change in one major ocean current can alter rainfall and extreme weather thousands of miles away, affecting ecosystems, water supplies, and communities across several continents.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Wildfires are raging across southwestern Europe after prolonged, record-setting heat waves and low rainfall effectively turned the region’s vegetation into kindling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Like the rest of the Philippines, it has a tropical climate, which brings high temperatures, humidity, and plenty of rainfall.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Extreme rainfalls during the ongoing monsoon season are a major source of floods in several parts of India.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025
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 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
It is our second month in Anlungthmor and we are amid one of the worst rainfalls ever.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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.
