rain

1 of 2

noun

ˈrān 

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

Synonyms

Noun

• cloudburst
• deluge
• downfall
• downpour
• rainfall
• rainstorm
• storm
• wet

Verb

• pour
• precipitate
• storm

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

San Francisco’s defense did a good job of putting the wraps on that Rams offense in the rain. —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024

Because rain is scarce in Botswana, it’s considered to be a valuable blessing, making the name a poignant choice. —Janine Henni, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024

Verb

While today, Sunday Dec. 8, is supposed to be in the high 40s in Greater Hartford, and temperatures are expected to climb into Wednesday before a dip, it also is supposed to rain Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in parts of the state, the forecasters report. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 Dec. 2024

Black Emperor bears witness to the apocalyptic violence rained down on Palestine over the past year, the obliteration of irreplaceable lives and generational entanglements with now-uninhabitable land. —Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing rain

• acid rain
• (as) right as rain
• come rain or (come) shine
• freezing rain
• golden rain tree
• it looks like rain
• pouring rain
• rain blows/punches on
• rain cats and dogs
• rain check
• rain date
• rain forest
• rain gauge
• rain on someone's parade
• rain or shine
• rain out
• rain shadow
• rain squall
• rain tree
• teem with rain
• temperate rain forest
• tropical rain forest
• yellow rain

Kids Definition

rain

1 of 2 noun

ˈrān 

1

a

: water falling in drops from clouds

b

: the falling of such water

2

a

: rainstorm

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