rain

noun, often attributive

\ ˈrān

Definition of rain

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : water falling in drops condensed from vapor in the atmosphere

b : the descent of this water

c : water that has fallen as rain : rainwater

2a : a fall of rain : rainstorm

b rains plural : the rainy season

3 : rainy weather

4 : a heavy fall a rain of arrows

rain

verb

rained; raining; rains

Definition of rain (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about rain

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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: Noun

The solo stretches, where Sellers battled unrelenting rain and fierce headwinds with no protection, were brutal. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "How Sarah Sellers Went From Surprise Podium Finisher at the Boston Marathon to Pro Athlete," 8 Apr. 2019 The water surged into town after heavy rains and snow melt broke a nearby levee, forcing evacuations through communities here. — Erin Ailworth, WSJ, "The Missouri River Has Crested, but Some Towns Are Still Under Water," 27 Mar. 2019 Even California will be hit by heavy rain and snow, AccuWeather claimed. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Brace Yourselves: The Entire Country Will be Hit by a Brutal Winter Storm This Week," 12 Feb. 2019 Winter comes with snow, ice, and salt, spring brings rain and dirt, summer adds on chlorine and salt water, and fall brings more dirt and leaves. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Here's Exactly How To Maintain Wood Floors," 23 Jan. 2019 Amid pouring rain and squalid conditions of the camp in Tijuana, several refugees announced a hunger strike on Thursday, November 29. — Ari Honarvar, Teen Vogue, "Migrants and Advocates Explain the Migrant Caravan Hunger Strike Protesting U.S. Asylum Policy," 4 Dec. 2018 At first glance, Seattle’s reputation for rain and gray skies may dissuade families from checking out all that the city has to offer. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "The best things to do with kids in 13 U.S. cities," 20 Nov. 2018 But power or no power, rain or shine, my favorite moment of the holiday has been the same year to year. — Elisabeth Egan, Glamour, "I Always Take My Kids Trick-or-Treating. This Year I Was Fired.," 29 Oct. 2018 For our friends up North, the majority of Canada can anticipate plenty of rain. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Old Farmer's Almanac Predicts a Cold, Rainless Spring for Most of the Country," 5 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The risk of infection Zoonotic diseases are here to rain on your pet-kissing parade. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "How Unsanitary Is It to Kiss Your Pet on the Mouth?," 2 May 2019 It can be used inside or out, but its effectiveness is reduced when exposed to rain. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Get Rid of Termites," 8 Jan. 2019 These love letters begin to rain down in a torrent all around her. — Anna Silman, The Cut, "The Tale and the Truth About 13-Year-Old Girls," 25 May 2018 Current forecasts point to rain for all of southeast Michigan. — Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, "Weather: 70 degrees, then ice storm looming for metro Detroit," 11 Apr. 2018 The Mud Creek Slide, which rained debris in one of the state’s largest landslides, destroyed a quarter-mile section of roadway on May 20, 2017. — Mary Forgione, latimes.com, "Big Sur road coming back: Highway 1, closed for a year and a half because of massive slide, to reopen by July 20," 4 July 2018 That final, of course, was marred by controversy, as an argument between Serena Williams and the umpire, Carlos Ramos, ended in an ugly scene: Osaka in tears during the trophy ceremony as the crowd, firmly on Serena’s side, rained boos upon her. — Louisa Thomas, Vogue, "The New Number One: Naomi Osaka Is Playing to Win," 21 Mar. 2019 That happens, in part, due to a fundamental change in the monsoon rains around the Indian Ocean, forcing them to shift westward. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Mad scientists flip the Earth’s spin in climate models, watch water go nuts," 17 Oct. 2018 India is likely to receive average monsoon rains this year, the IMD said in a statement. — Manveena Suri, CNN, "Pre-monsoon showers leave 48 dead in northern India," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.