rain
Americannoun
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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.
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a rainfall, rainstorm, or shower.
We had a light rain this afternoon.
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rains, the rainy season; seasonal rainfall, as in India.
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weather marked by steady or frequent rainfall.
We had rain most of last summer.
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a heavy and continuous descent or inflicting of anything.
a rain of blows; a rain of vituperation.
verb (used without object)
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(of rain) to fall (usually used impersonally with it as subject).
It rained all night.
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to fall like rain.
Tears rained from their eyes.
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to send down rain.
The lightning flashed and the sky rained on us in torrents.
verb (used with object)
verb phrase
idioms
noun
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precipitation from clouds in the form of drops of water, formed by the condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere
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a fall of rain; shower
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( in combination )
a raindrop
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a large quantity of anything falling rapidly or in quick succession
a rain of abuse
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regardless of the weather
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regardless of circumstances
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informal perfectly all right; perfectly fit
verb
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(intr; with it as subject) to be the case that rain is falling
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to fall or cause to fall like rain
the lid flew off and popcorn rained on everyone
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(tr) to bestow in large measure
to rain abuse on someone
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informal to rain heavily; pour
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cancelled or postponed on account of rain
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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.
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See also hydrologic cycle
Other Word Forms
- rainless adjective
- rainlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of rain
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English rein; Old English regn, rēn, cognate with Dutch, German regen, Old Norse regn, Gothic rign; (verb) Middle English reinen, Old English regnian
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.
Los Angeles motorists and pedestrians aren’t the only ones who struggle to navigate torrential rain.
From Los Angeles Times
In September 2023, rain followed by Tropical Storm Hilary established conditions for breeding and the subsequent insect activity in a time when the mosquitoes typically begin to hibernate.
From Los Angeles Times
Reising wore skis as he and other officials measured snow in a slushy meadow at Phillips Station near South Lake Tahoe, where rains in the last week began to melt the snow.
From Los Angeles Times
It also rained relentlessly, and there were no loos or food options anywhere in sight.
From BBC
It’s a Wednesday afternoon in West Hollywood, one day after the city was blanketed in a light coating of rain.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
