rain squall

noun

variants or less commonly rainsquall
plural rain squalls also rainsqualls
: a sudden, brief, and intense storm of wind and rain : a squall accompanied by rain
The weather was almost bad enough to have pleased Omar; we bucketed up and down and to and fro in the rain squalls.Graham Greene

Examples of rain squall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Tiny clouds on the distant skyline can slowly grow into towering thunderheads, or a rain squall moving in from the coast directed by the whim of the wind. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2023 On one repost of the feed to its Twitter account, viewers can see the rocket disappear from view as rain squall from the hurricane moves across the space center. Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rain squall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rain squall was in 1661

Dictionary Entries Near rain squall

Cite this Entry

“Rain squall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rain%20squall. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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