rainstorm
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rainstorm
Explanation
When clouds roll in and drops of water start to pour from the sky, it's a rainstorm. If the weather report predicts a rainstorm, you'd better grab your umbrella! You could also call a rainstorm a downpour or a cloudburst — it's a weather event involving heavier rain than a rain shower or drizzle. Certain unstable air conditions sometimes cause a rainstorm to turn into a thunderstorm. A farmer in the midst of a dry, hot summer is likely hoping for a rainstorm, but if you're excited about an outdoor family reunion next weekend, a rainstorm in the forecast will be very disappointing.
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.
Its unlikely that the weekend’s rainstorm is a direct product of the El Niño cycle, which forecasters predict will emerge sometime in May through July, said Schoenfeld.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Fresh downpours have brought more flooding, landslides and fear to southeastern Brazil where rescuers were still looking for 14 missing people Thursday after a rainstorm that left 54 people dead.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
"Even the weird barks that he does," laughs the 16-year-old, who braved a rainstorm to see Speed in action.
From BBC • Jan. 17, 2026
For one thing, there’s money in Dahlonega, the smalltown Atlanta suburb where Anna grew up—and where, during the kind of rainstorm that dissolves evidence, a body is found on the hood of a car.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026
We’d cut the rations to stretch the supply, but that rainstorm was five long days in the past, and now we were down to a third of a jug.
From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin
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.
