rainforest

noun

rain·​for·​est ˈrān-ˌfȯr-əst How to pronounce rainforest (audio)
-ˌfär-
variants or less commonly rain forest
plural rainforests also rain forests
1
: a tropical woodland with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches (254 centimeters) and marked by lofty broad-leaved evergreen trees forming a continuous canopy

called also tropical rainforest

2

Examples of rainforest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Look no further than Khao Yai National Park, one of the country’s oldest and largest national parks, featuring more than 2,000 kilometers of rainforests, evergreen forests, and grasslands. Cat Sposato, AFAR Media, 18 Feb. 2025 The snakes can live in multiple ecosystems such as rainforests, seasonally dry forests and pastures. Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2025 This includes the potential for the Greenland ice sheet to melt, the Amazon rainforest to decline significantly and the collapse of Atlantic Ocean currents that help regulate global temperature. Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2025 Over the past 50 years, an area of the rainforest larger than the state of Texas has been razed to make way for farmland and cattle pasture. Alex Cuadros, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2025 Yet its influence extends far beyond the water’s edge, shaping the health of ecosystems as distant as the Amazon rainforest and the African savannah. Photovogue, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2025 While Colombia is equipped with towering mountains, pristine beaches and vast swathes of Amazon rainforest, the country also boasts a particularly underrated ecotourism destination in the form of Los Llanos. Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025 Over a million species face extinction, ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest are tipping into collapse, and climate change is playing an increasingly influential role in the decline of biodiversity. Paige Vega, Vox, 21 Jan. 2025 From the flamboyant blossoms and birds of rainforests to the living rainbows of coral reefs, Earth’s surface is teeming with life. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rainforest was in 1900

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Cite this Entry

“Rainforest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rainforest. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

rain forest

noun
1
: an often tropical woodland with a high annual rainfall and very tall evergreen trees with tops forming a continuous layer

called also tropical rain forest

2

More from Merriam-Webster on rainforest

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