rain
water that is condensed from the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere and falls to earth in drops more than 0.02 inch (0.5 millimeters) in diameter.: Compare drizzle (def. 6).
rains, the rainy season; seasonal rainfall, as in India.
weather marked by steady or frequent rainfall: We had rain most of last summer.
a heavy and continuous descent or inflicting of anything: a rain of blows; a rain of vituperation.
(of rain) to fall (usually used impersonally with it as subject): It rained all night.
to fall like rain: Tears rained from their eyes.
to send down rain: The lightning flashed and the sky rained on us in torrents.
to send down in great quantities, as small pieces or objects: People on rooftops rained confetti on the parade.
to offer, bestow, or give in great quantity: to rain favors upon a person.
to deal, hurl, fire, etc., repeatedly: to rain blows on someone's head.
rain out, to cause, by raining, the cancellation or postponement of a sports event, performance, or the like: The double-header was rained out yesterday.
Idioms about rain
rain cats and dogs, Informal. to rain very heavily or steadily: We canceled our picnic because it rained cats and dogs.
Origin of rain
1Other words for rain
Other words from rain
- rainless, adjective
- rain·less·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with rain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rain in a sentence
The outer shell has water-repellent technology in case of rain or snow, and the faux-fur on the hood lining blocks wind in addition to looking adorable.
The hottest gifts to buy for the friend who’s always cold | Sandra Gutierrez G. | November 20, 2020 | Popular-ScienceWhen he was a teenager, he poked around old bookstores “like a botanist in a rain forest.”
Eighty years of memories that will stir readers’ own | Connie Schultz | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostSome clouds are in the forecast in the coming days, ahead of our next chance of rain Sunday night into Monday.
D.C.-area forecast: Mainly clear skies plus warmer temperatures today and tomorrow | A. Camden Walker | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostWithout fail, heavy rains hitting the Mexico side wash way more water and sewage into the river than the South Bay plant was built to handle.
Two Companies See a Golden Opportunity in the Tijuana River’s Brown Waters | MacKenzie Elmer | November 20, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoFire Island gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 116 days per year, and averages 26 inches of snow and 46 inches of rain per year.
Fire Island Pines: One Of America’s First LGBTQ Coastal Towns | LGBTQ-Editor | November 18, 2020 | No Straight News
Soon after we've begun working, Hitchcock announces he isn't coming to the office because it is raining.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOutside, in the heart of progressive Austin, it was raining cats and dogs.
But then Marino checked the weather, and saw that it would be raining all afternoon.
‘Marry Me’ Proves Ken Marino Is More Than Just an Asshole | Kevin Fallon | October 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was sunny, it was cloudy, it was raining, it was completely covered in snow, and then by the end of the day it was gone.
‘Sharknado 2’ in Winter: Has the Franchise Jumped the Shark? | Jason Lynch | July 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLiving with the threat of random death raining down leads to a strange way of life, a pathology of indirect fire.
Dodging Rockets in Afghanistan as the Taliban’s Fighting Season Begins | Nick Willard | May 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was a cheerless morning when they got into the street, blowing and raining hard, and the clouds looking dull and stormy.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles DickensIt was still raining—a gray day with fitful showers that never entirely ceased but only varied in intensity.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. MurphyIt had been raining heavily the night before and the air was free from the dust that had previously annoyed us.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. MurphyOur fine weather was very transient, for it was raining again when we reached Worcester.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. MurphySuddenly it ceased raining; and, looking about them, they saw that the lake was perfectly quiet—not a ripple could be seen.
The value of a praying mother | Isabel C. Byrum
British Dictionary definitions for rain
/ (reɪn) /
precipitation from clouds in the form of drops of water, formed by the condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere
a fall of rain; shower
(in combination): a raindrop Related adjectives: hyetal, pluvious
a large quantity of anything falling rapidly or in quick succession: a rain of abuse
rain or shine or come rain or shine
regardless of the weather
regardless of circumstances
right as rain British informal perfectly all right; perfectly fit
(intr ; with it as subject) to be the case that rain is falling
(often with it as subject) to fall or cause to fall like rain: the lid flew off and popcorn rained on everyone
(tr) to bestow in large measure: to rain abuse on someone
rain cats and dogs informal to rain heavily; pour
rained off cancelled or postponed on account of rain
Origin of rain
1- US and Canadian term: rained out
- See also rains
Derived forms of rain
- rainless, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for rain
[ rān ]
Water that condenses from water vapor in the atmosphere and falls to Earth as separate drops from clouds. Rain forms primarily in three ways: at weather fronts, when the water vapor in the warmer mass of air cools and condenses; along mountain ranges, when a warm mass of air is forced to rise over a mountain and its water vapor cools and condenses; and by convection in hot climates, when the water vapor in suddenly rising masses of warm air cools and condenses. See also hydrologic cycle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with rain
In addition to the idioms beginning with rain
- rain cats and dogs
- rain check
- rain on one's parade
- rain or shine
- rain out
- rainy day, a
also see:
- come in out of the rain
- it never rains but it pours
- right as rain
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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