rain

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
a
: water falling in drops condensed from vapor in the atmosphere
b
: the descent of this water
c
: water that has fallen as rain : rainwater
2
a
: a fall of rain : rainstorm
b
rains plural : the rainy season
3
: rainy weather
4
: a heavy fall
a rain of arrows

rain

2 of 2

verb

rained; raining; rains

intransitive verb

1
: to send down rain
2
: to fall as water in drops from the clouds
3
: to fall like rain
soot and ash rained down

transitive verb

1
: to pour down
2
: to give or administer abundantly
rained blows on his head
Phrases
rain cats and dogs
: to rain heavily

Examples of rain in a Sentence

Noun The weatherman forecasts rain for this afternoon. Everyone went inside when the rain began to fall. What the garden needs is a good, soaking rain. A light rain began to fall. There has been some flooding due to the recent heavy rains. We've had a week of rain. The rains came and flooded the valley. Verb Sparks from the fireworks rained on the field. The volcano rained ashes on the city.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Steady rain will continue in Los Angeles County until about noon, followed by sporadic showers in some areas throughout the day, according to Mike Wofford, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024 Most of the rain is done by early afternoon, but some showers could linger past that, especially east and northeast. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 There was plenty of rain in this part of the Rust Belt—sometimes too much. Abrahm Lustgarten, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2024 From Friday to Saturday afternoon, the Bay Area saw some downpours that resulted in be less than an inch of rain. Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024 The chance of rain then skyrockets to 80% on Saturday, when up to a quarter of an inch of rain could fall in Boise. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 22 Mar. 2024 Expect detours, street shutdowns Rainfall totals of two to four inches are estimated across the region, but five or more inches of rain is possible in some areas in the southern half of Miami-Dade. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024 Much of the state, especially Central Arkansas, is forecast to get one and half to two inches of rain, the briefing said. Remington Miller, arkansasonline.com, 12 Mar. 2024 The moderately challenging loop is beautiful at any time of year, but going during the springtime — especially after winter rains — is a genuine delight. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024
Verb
Precipitation will shift to rain on Monday in southern Wisconsin, starting in the early morning and continuing throughout the day. Journal Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2024 Showers are possible Friday evening, then rain likely overnight. Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 Akbar, his beneficent Creator, hears his prayer and gives him the apocalypse, replete with wild horses, smoke, and flowers raining from the sky. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024 Now, the sound of laughter has been replaced by that of Israeli strikes raining down on the enclave. Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 Every autumn, hickory nuts and broken shells would rain down on our lawn, turning the grass into a rolling minefield of debris. Melanie McCabe, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Russian forces in the Kupiansk region were sending barrages of artillery raining down on Ukrainian lines. Nicole Tung, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Rain likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 1 a.m., then rain between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., then rain and possibly a thunderstorm after 4 a.m. Low around 53. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024 Knives raining down on fire crews Township officials said Tuesday that the site, a former Save-A-Lot retail and warehouse store, wasn't supposed to have butane and nitrous oxide tanks inside. Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English reyn, from Old English regn, rēn; akin to Old High German regan rain

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rain was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near rain

Cite this Entry

“Rain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rain. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rain

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: water falling in drops from clouds
b
: the falling of such water
2
a
b
plural : the rainy season
3
: rainy weather
a week of rain
4
: a heavy fall
a rain of arrows
rainless
-ləs
adjective

rain

2 of 2 verb
1
: to fall as water in drops from the clouds
2
: to send down rain
3
: to fall like rain
ashes rained from the volcano
4
: to give in large amounts
rained blows on each other

More from Merriam-Webster on rain

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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