rainwater
noun
water fallen as rain.
rainwater
1 American
[reyn-waw-ter, -wot-er]
/ ˈreɪnˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /
noun
Rainwater
2
American
[reyn-waw-ter, -wot-er]
/ ˈreɪnˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /
noun
rainwater
British
/ ˈreɪnˌwɔːtə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of rainwater
before 1000; Middle English rein water, Old English regn-wæter; see rain, water
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.
Liou and her gardener helped Lee install it and build a bioswale to catch rainwater, using stones from Valley Builders Supply and some larger rocks from Bourget Bros.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Here by the water’s edge, she nibbles on seeds and drinks rainwater, retreating to the house to sleep at night.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
He avoids bottled water due to microplastics and has set up an elaborate system to catch rainwater from the house roof.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
Oil fires can also release sulphur and nitrogen oxides, which can form acids if they dissolve in rainwater, as well as other harmful hydrocarbons, metallic compounds and droplets of oil.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
There was also an upturned dustbin lid with an inch of rainwater inside, and the incomplete tea-ring stain on the cover of his Housman poems.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
