1
: the amount of precipitation usually measured by the depth in inches
2
Examples of rainfall in a Sentence
This area has an average annual rainfall of 12 inches.
an increase in annual rainfall
Recent Examples on the Web
An ancient lake that vanished from California’s Death Valley National Park thousands of years ago has made a rare return after the area was soaked by record-setting rainfall.
—
Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 13 Dec. 2025
After three days of heavy rainfall, swaths of Western Washington racked up 12 to 16 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
As with so many things in the desert, prickly pear season is a marker of time, arriving near the end of monsoon season (about late June to mid-September) when the area receives most of its annual rainfall.
—Von Diaz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Dec. 2025
New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rainfall
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Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 13 Dec. 2025
After three days of heavy rainfall, swaths of Western Washington racked up 12 to 16 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
As with so many things in the desert, prickly pear season is a marker of time, arriving near the end of monsoon season (about late June to mid-September) when the area receives most of its annual rainfall.
—Von Diaz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Dec. 2025
New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rainfall
Cite this Entry
“Rainfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rainfall. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rainfall
noun
rain·fall
-ˌfȯl 
1
: a fall of rain
2
: amount of precipitation
an annual rainfall of 20 inches
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