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

The rain will turn to showers on Friday, decreasing that afternoon. —Tom Tapp, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2025

Friday night’s low is expected to be 26, and Saturday is predicted to have a 30% chance of rain and snow. —Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2025

Verb

Nevertheless, a boss or someone in authority might rain on your parade. —Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2025

On Saturday, snow is likely before 4 p.m. before turning to rain with a high near 38. —Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2025

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