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

Although the warming climate does not cause El Niño events, scientists say, warmer temperatures generally can exacerbate extreme weather, making monsoon storms wetter and heatwaves even hotter. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 11 June 2026

The India film is unlikely to shoot this year due to the monsoon season, which runs through September. —Jenny S. Li, Variety, 11 June 2026

Both items are nice to have in Arizona, where AC units run hard through summer and monsoon storms can leave roofs in need of repair. —Sharon Wu, USA Today, 9 June 2026

Early signs of how El Niño may reshape global weather patterns are starting to show in the late onset and expected weakness of India’s monsoon rains. —Mary Hui, Bloomberg, 8 June 2026

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