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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Despite persistent light rain, dozens of neighbors came out to see the spectacular sight of what amounted to a flying house.
—David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024
As my colleagues Grace Toohey and Hayley Smith report, downtown Los Angeles has received more than 52 inches of rain in the last two water years as of this week — the second-highest amount ever recorded.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The lightweight rain jacket has all the makings of becoming your go-to for sprinkles and downpours alike, including ample pockets for your belongings, elastic cuffs to prevent water from running down your arms, and adjustable drawstrings on the hood and waist for keeping wind and rain out.
—Michelle Rostamian, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Severe weather swept across central and southern Indiana yesterday bringing tornadoes, heavy rain and hail.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024
The severe weather tore through the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys earlier in the week, bringing heavy rain, hail and suspected tornadoes to a number of U.S. states, leaving its mark in debris.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
The springtime storms follow a wet Monday when unconfirmed tornadoes, hail, strong gusts and heavy rain battered parts of the South.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Steady rain will continue in Los Angeles County until about noon, followed by sporadic showers in some areas throughout the day, according to Mike Wofford, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
More than 48,000 hearts rained down from the fourth floor of the rotunda at the Idaho Capitol, as more than a dozen protesters dropped the colored paper over the railings Tuesday afternoon.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024
Investors have bought into the artificial-intelligence promise in droves, sending valuations for the stock market’s biggest winners soaring on bets this game-changing technology will rain profits in the years ahead — regardless of the twists and turns in the American economy.
—Justina Lee, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
Marshmallows rained from the skies across southeastern Michigan on Friday in honor of the upcoming Easter holiday.
—Detroit Free Press, 29 Mar. 2024
Terror is also raining from the skies as the military has unleashed a massive aerial bombing campaign in ethnic minority areas or places where there is anti-coup resistance.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Kallas said that the NWS expected the northwest portions of the state — which are still in a winter storm warning until 1 p.m. —to receive the most snow, due to the system transitioning to rain the latest there.
—David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024
Criticism rained down on the NRA, including from then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Vullo, who began meeting with insurance executives.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
Precipitation will shift to rain on Monday in southern Wisconsin, starting in the early morning and continuing throughout the day.
—Journal Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2024
Noun
Soil sampled two days after the storm around Brickell showed patterns that indicated surge could be blamed for flooding a block or two from the bay, but further inland was caused by heavy rain unable to drain into the bay.
—Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Despite persistent light rain, dozens of neighbors came out to see the spectacular sight of what amounted to a flying house.
—David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024
As my colleagues Grace Toohey and Hayley Smith report, downtown Los Angeles has received more than 52 inches of rain in the last two water years as of this week — the second-highest amount ever recorded.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The lightweight rain jacket has all the makings of becoming your go-to for sprinkles and downpours alike, including ample pockets for your belongings, elastic cuffs to prevent water from running down your arms, and adjustable drawstrings on the hood and waist for keeping wind and rain out.
—Michelle Rostamian, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Severe weather swept across central and southern Indiana yesterday bringing tornadoes, heavy rain and hail.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024
The severe weather tore through the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys earlier in the week, bringing heavy rain, hail and suspected tornadoes to a number of U.S. states, leaving its mark in debris.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
The springtime storms follow a wet Monday when unconfirmed tornadoes, hail, strong gusts and heavy rain battered parts of the South.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Steady rain will continue in Los Angeles County until about noon, followed by sporadic showers in some areas throughout the day, according to Mike Wofford, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
Verb
Small pieces of material from the ceiling rained down.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
More than 48,000 hearts rained down from the fourth floor of the rotunda at the Idaho Capitol, as more than a dozen protesters dropped the colored paper over the railings Tuesday afternoon.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024
Investors have bought into the artificial-intelligence promise in droves, sending valuations for the stock market’s biggest winners soaring on bets this game-changing technology will rain profits in the years ahead — regardless of the twists and turns in the American economy.
—Justina Lee, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
Marshmallows rained from the skies across southeastern Michigan on Friday in honor of the upcoming Easter holiday.
—Detroit Free Press, 29 Mar. 2024
Terror is also raining from the skies as the military has unleashed a massive aerial bombing campaign in ethnic minority areas or places where there is anti-coup resistance.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Kallas said that the NWS expected the northwest portions of the state — which are still in a winter storm warning until 1 p.m. —to receive the most snow, due to the system transitioning to rain the latest there.
—David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024
Criticism rained down on the NRA, including from then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Vullo, who began meeting with insurance executives.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
Precipitation will shift to rain on Monday in southern Wisconsin, starting in the early morning and continuing throughout the day.
—Journal Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near rain
Cite this Entry
“Rain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rain. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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