rainforest

noun

rain·for·est ˈrān-ˌfȯr-əst

-ˌfär-

variants or less commonly rain forest

plural rainforests also rain forests

: 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

: temperate rainforest

Examples of rainforest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For example, evidence is mounting that continued deforestation of the Amazon could trigger a change in regional precipitation patterns, and in turn, an irreversible conversion of the rainforest into savannah with a massive release of carbon into the atmosphere. —

Bygabriel Labbate, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023 With the Brown Family in tow, a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and to the mountain peaks of Peru. —

Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 23 Oct. 2023 The record confirms that this part of the world’s largest rainforest is suffering its worst drought, just a little over two years after its most significant flooding. —

Fabiano Maisonnave, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2023 The cacophony of birds and insects and frogs—a thriving, complex mix of rainforest species—do. —

WIRED, 17 Oct. 2023 Reuters — Rivers in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil fell to their lowest levels in over a century on Monday as a record drought upends the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and damages the jungle ecosystem. —

Reuters, CNN, 17 Oct. 2023 The lower floor features a double-height gym, sauna with mood lights, steam room with a rainforest shower, massage room, and juice bar. —

Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2023 Living in the middle Miocene, around 15 million years ago, the giant koala thrived during a time when Australia would have been blanketed in lush rainforests. —

Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 27 Oct. 2023 The drier conditions are accelerating the destruction of the world’s largest and most biodiverse rainforest where parts have started to transform from humid ecosystems that store huge amounts of heat-trapping gases into drier ones that are releasing the gases into the atmosphere. —

Manuela Andreoni, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023 See More

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