Definition of rain
From the M-W Editors
Examples of rain in a Sentence
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.
Origin and Etymology of rain
Middle English reyn, from Old English regn, rēn; akin to Old High German regan rain
rain
Definition of rain
intransitive verb
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
transitive verb
1 : to pour down
2 : to give or administer abundantly rained blows on his head
rain cats and dogs
: to rain heavily
Examples of rain in a Sentence
Sparks from the fireworks rained on the field.
The volcano rained ashes on the city.
First Known Use of rain
before 12th century
RAIN Defined for English Language Learners
rain
playDefinition of rain for English Language Learners
-
: water that falls in drops from clouds in the sky
-
: weather in which there is a lot of rain : rainy weather
-
rains : large amounts of rain that fall at a particular time of year
rain
Definition of rain for English Language Learners
-
—used with it to say that rain is falling
-
: to fall from above in large amounts
-
: to cause (something) to fall in large amounts
RAIN Defined for Kids
Definition of rain for Students
1 : water falling in drops from the clouds
2 : a fall of water in drops from the clouds
3 : rainy weather “Are you going to sleep out in all this rain?” — E. B. White, Stuart Little
4 : a heavy fall of objects
Headscratcher for rain
Rain, reign, and rein all sound alike but have different meanings. Rain is the water that falls from the sky. A reign is the rule of a king or queen. A rein is a strap used to control an animal, such as a horse.
Definition of rain for Students
rained
;raining
1 : to fall as water in drops from the clouds
2 : to send down rain The clouds rained for days.
3 : to fall in large amounts Ashes rained from the volcano.
4 : to give in large amounts Friends rained advice on me.
rain cats and dogs
: pour 2
Learn More about rain
-
See words that rhyme with rain Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rain Spanish Central: Translation of rain Nglish: Translation of rain for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rain for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rain
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up rain? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!