rain

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
a
: water falling in drops condensed from vapor in the atmosphere
b
: the descent of this water
c
: water that has fallen as rain : rainwater
2
a
: a fall of rain : rainstorm
b
rains plural : the rainy season
3
: rainy weather
4
: a heavy fall
a rain of arrows

rain

2 of 2

verb

rained; raining; rains

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
Phrases
rain cats and dogs
: to rain heavily

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
By Thursday evening, five inches of rain had fallen in parts of western Texas, including Midland and Odessa. ABC News, 5 July 2025 The Guadalupe River has had a history of floods, with one of the most prominent incidents occurring in 1987, when five to 10 inches of rain fell in the upper headwaters of the river’s basin. Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
Verb
On the final day of Summerfest 2025, fans of Part Time Models, Van Jaeger and The Warning have a 50/50 chance of getting rained on and a 100% chance of being sweaty as temperatures reach a heat index of 95 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon. Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 6 July 2025 Debris rained down on the crowd, setting fire to their hair and summer clothing and burning their skin. Jordan Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for rain

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English reyn, from Old English regn, rēn; akin to Old High German regan rain

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rain was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rain. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

rain

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: water falling in drops from clouds
b
: the falling of such water
2
a
b
plural : the rainy season
3
: rainy weather
a week of rain
4
: a heavy fall
a rain of arrows
rainless
-ləs
adjective

rain

2 of 2 verb
1
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on rain

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!