often attributive
rained; raining; rains
1
: to send down rain
2
: to fall as water in drops from the clouds
3
: to fall like rain
soot and ash rained down
Synonyms
Examples of rain in a Sentence
Noun
The weatherman forecasts rain for this afternoon.
Everyone went inside when the rain began to fall.
What the garden needs is a good, soaking rain.
A light rain began to fall.
There has been some flooding due to the recent heavy rains.
We've had a week of rain.
The rains came and flooded the valley.
Verb
Sparks from the fireworks rained on the field.
The volcano rained ashes on the city.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Stav Poleg, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
That means increasing shower chances during the morning with a period of steady rain likely during the afternoon into evening.
—Molly Robey, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
Climate and environment Another wave of rain is coming to Southern California.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
With rising sea temperatures, hurricanes also are increasing in strength and are more likely to reach inland areas and dump inches of rain in a matter of hours.
—Minho Kim, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2023
Forecasters originally thought the system would drop about 0.70 inches of rain west of Interstate 15 and as much as an inch in the valleys, foothills and mountains to the east.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Nov. 2023
Radar estimates between Key Largo and the southern Everglades recorded a whopping 15 to 20 inches of rain.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023
The state could see a few more inches of rain as well as 45 mph winds before conditions start to improve Thursday afternoon.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
But the southern end of the peninsula also just took the brunt of Hurricane Norma, which made landfall as a Category 1 storm and dumped an enormous amount of rain onto the desert, completely changing the radical terrain.
—Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 15 Nov. 2023
Mike Wall, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023
Ash and debris — later found to contain asbestos — rained down.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
So massive that rockets from Gaza continued to rain down on Israeli towns for weeks, and resistance continues.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Debris from the rocket rained down over the Gulf of Mexico.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023
The livestock below deck were thrown about, and men had to cover their faces as mean, biting hogs rained down.
—Mike O’Brien, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2023
And then there are the Israeli airstrikes, thousands and thousands of them, which rain down day and night, from north to south, on Hamas tunnels and hideouts, but also on homes, schools and places of worship.
—Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023
Connect via wireless Bluetooth and listen to your favorite jams in your favorite outdoor places, without worrying if it gets rained on, splashed, or dropped in the sand.
—Lauren Breedlove, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2023
As the rockets rained down, the National Guard troops vacated their barracks in the public school.
—James Verini Paolo Pellegrin, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023
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Noun
Consider the rain as two opposite lands—two possible soundtracks
for a sleepless, long week—the principle
of uncertainty—the certitude of clarity—something
in between.
—Stav Poleg, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
That means increasing shower chances during the morning with a period of steady rain likely during the afternoon into evening.
—Molly Robey, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
Climate and environment Another wave of rain is coming to Southern California.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
With rising sea temperatures, hurricanes also are increasing in strength and are more likely to reach inland areas and dump inches of rain in a matter of hours.
—Minho Kim, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2023
Forecasters originally thought the system would drop about 0.70 inches of rain west of Interstate 15 and as much as an inch in the valleys, foothills and mountains to the east.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Nov. 2023
Radar estimates between Key Largo and the southern Everglades recorded a whopping 15 to 20 inches of rain.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023
The state could see a few more inches of rain as well as 45 mph winds before conditions start to improve Thursday afternoon.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
But the southern end of the peninsula also just took the brunt of Hurricane Norma, which made landfall as a Category 1 storm and dumped an enormous amount of rain onto the desert, completely changing the radical terrain.
—Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 15 Nov. 2023
Verb
That launch also damaged some of Starbase's infrastructure, blasting out a crater beneath the facility's orbital launch mount and sending chunks of concrete and other debris raining down on the surrounding area.
—Mike Wall, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023
Ash and debris — later found to contain asbestos — rained down.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
So massive that rockets from Gaza continued to rain down on Israeli towns for weeks, and resistance continues.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Debris from the rocket rained down over the Gulf of Mexico.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023
The livestock below deck were thrown about, and men had to cover their faces as mean, biting hogs rained down.
—Mike O’Brien, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2023
And then there are the Israeli airstrikes, thousands and thousands of them, which rain down day and night, from north to south, on Hamas tunnels and hideouts, but also on homes, schools and places of worship.
—Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023
Connect via wireless Bluetooth and listen to your favorite jams in your favorite outdoor places, without worrying if it gets rained on, splashed, or dropped in the sand.
—Lauren Breedlove, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2023
As the rockets rained down, the National Guard troops vacated their barracks in the public school.
—James Verini Paolo Pellegrin, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English reyn, from Old English regn, rēn; akin to Old High German regan rain
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of rain was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing rain
Dictionary Entries Near rain
Cite this Entry
“Rain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rain. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
rain
2 of 2 verb1
: to fall as water in drops from the clouds
2
: to send down rain
3
: to fall like rain
ashes rained from the volcano
4
: to give in large amounts
rained blows on each other
More from Merriam-Webster on rain
Nglish: Translation of rain for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of rain for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rain
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