monsoon

noun

mon·​soon män-ˈsün 

ˈmän-ˌsün

1

: a periodic wind especially in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia

2

: the season of the southwest monsoon in India and adjacent areas that is characterized by very heavy rainfall

3

: rainfall that is associated with the monsoon

monsoonal

män-ˈsü-nᵊl 

ˈmän-ˌsü-

adjective

Examples of monsoon in a Sentence

floods caused by summer monsoons

Recent Examples on the Web

While wildfire season in Arizona used to arrive in spring and reliably end by the monsoon, fire seasons have turned into fire years as the blazes become more erratic and frequent. —John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025

At high elevations, cold air turns heavy monsoon precipitation into snowfall that sustains the ice. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025

The fire season was also worsened by a late and sporadic monsoon season, said Nikolai Balashov, a meteorologist for the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 29 Aug. 2025

The workshops’ electric wiring was installed three feet above the ground, and equipment can be moved safely to high shelves during monsoons. —Faye Bradley, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

obsolete Dutch monssoen, from Portuguese monção, from Arabic mawsim time, season

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for monsoon

• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon
• cartoon
• cocoon
• festoon
• gaboon
• harpoon
• immune
• impugn

Kids Definition

monsoon

noun

mon·​soon män-ˈsün 

1

: a periodic wind in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia

2

: the rainy season that accompanies the southwest monsoon

3

: rainfall that is associated with the monsoon season