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

Communities across Asia are grappling with extreme weather as climate change makes monsoon season more erratic. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Metro Phoenix has remained mostly dry this monsoon season, and that trend isn't changing anytime soon. —Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 31 July 2025

Others show the devastating impact of the summer monsoon season in New Mexico, which caused deserts to flood and cars to become stranded as water washed over a highway. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025

The combination of weather conditions is unusual during the region's monsoon season, which officially runs from June 15 to Sept. 30, as heavy moisture and thunderstorms drive up humidity levels and limit the risk of wildfires. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 17 July 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