rainforest
noun
rain·for·est
ˈrān-ˌfȯr-əst 
-ˌfär-
variants
or less commonly rain forest
plural rainforests also rain forests
1
: a tropical woodland with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches (254 centimeters) and marked by lofty broad-leaved evergreen trees forming a continuous canopy
called also tropical rainforest
Examples of rainforest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even though most gorilla treks in Rwanda and Uganda take place in the summer (the area’s dry season), the gorillas live in the rainforest, so rain can be expected anytime.
—
Claire Gallam, Travel + Leisure, 23 July 2025
Costa Rica is an ecological marvel with jungles, rainforests, and active volcanoes, and people from all over the world come here for yoga or surfing retreats.
—Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
Opossums and ocelots appear to team up on Amazonian nights, trekking through the rainforest together, according to videos captured by researchers at the Cocha Cashu Biological Station in Peru.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 July 2025
The news people are announcing on repeat a mantra suffused with an English lilt in their mouths, that the fires haven’t gorged themselves on the rainforests like this in over half a century.
—Literary Hub, 10 July 2025
No shame to the rainforests and their heavy lifting, of course.
—New Atlas, 10 July 2025
Pictured above is Indonesia’s mountainous Halmahera rainforest, featuring rugged topography shaped by outpourings from the numerous volcanoes that pockmark the region.
—Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 1 July 2025
The planned railway traverses ecologically sensitive regions including portions of the Amazon rainforest and the Andes Mountains, raising concerns about potential impacts.
—Theo Burman
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
It’s packed with rainforests, lagoons, mangrove swamps, and rivers.
—AFAR Media, 8 July 2025
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Claire Gallam, Travel + Leisure, 23 July 2025
Costa Rica is an ecological marvel with jungles, rainforests, and active volcanoes, and people from all over the world come here for yoga or surfing retreats.
—Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
Opossums and ocelots appear to team up on Amazonian nights, trekking through the rainforest together, according to videos captured by researchers at the Cocha Cashu Biological Station in Peru.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 July 2025
The news people are announcing on repeat a mantra suffused with an English lilt in their mouths, that the fires haven’t gorged themselves on the rainforests like this in over half a century.
—Literary Hub, 10 July 2025
No shame to the rainforests and their heavy lifting, of course.
—New Atlas, 10 July 2025
Pictured above is Indonesia’s mountainous Halmahera rainforest, featuring rugged topography shaped by outpourings from the numerous volcanoes that pockmark the region.
—Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 1 July 2025
The planned railway traverses ecologically sensitive regions including portions of the Amazon rainforest and the Andes Mountains, raising concerns about potential impacts.
—Theo Burman
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
It’s packed with rainforests, lagoons, mangrove swamps, and rivers.
—AFAR Media, 8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rainforest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rainforest. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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