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

Also, a strong upper level low is digging into the west coast creating monsoon flow at the same time. — Dave Aguilera, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

The rain is from a monsoon pattern, Sullivan said, and is not related to Hurricanes Polo and Odalys. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

New Mexico is preparing for another day of possibly life-threatening floods throughout most of the state after receiving multiple rounds of heavy monsoon rain since Tuesday. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

That potential for change comes in part thanks to Nepal’s more than 6,000 rivers and streams that flow down from the mountains and are strengthened by monsoons and melting glaciers, which allow the country to run on 99% hydropower. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 20 Sep. 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