rainfall
noun
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Definition of rainfall
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Synonyms for rainfall
Synonyms
cloudburst, deluge, downfall, downpour, rain, rainstorm, storm, wet
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Examples of rainfall in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
All that moisture creates the possibility for heavy rainfall rates of as much as a half-inch per hour. — Robert Krier, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Thunderstorms expected in mountains, possibly inland valleys," 11 July 2018 Severe flooding isn't expected today, although high rainfall rates could cause some isolated flooding, meteorologists said. — Samantha Ketterer, Houston Chronicle, "Tropical disturbance moving into Texas, bringing rain," 18 June 2018 Interior flooding could still occur, however, if rainfall rates are too high for the interior pump stations to move into the canal. — Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com, "Corps insists 17th Street Canal levee is safe, even with seepage," 30 Mar. 2018 But more water in the atmosphere does mean more intense precipitation—higher rainfall rates. — Megan Molteni, WIRED, "See Everything Bad About Climate Change in a Single California Town," 23 Mar. 2018 With the storm expected to last through Thursday, there was concern about the combination of rainfall rates and the long duration, said Suzanne Grimmesey, a spokeswoman for Santa Barbara County. — CBS News, "Mudslides feared as strong Pacific storm heads toward weary Southern California," 21 Mar. 2018 There is a slight chance of thunderstorms, which likely would produce rainfall rates in excess of 1 inch per hour, according to the weather service. — Joseph Serna, latimes.com, "Rain hits Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as residents prepare for potential flooding and mudslides," 21 Mar. 2018 The National Weather Service predicts rainfall rates between a half to three-quarters of an inch per hour, with rain totals of 5 to 10 inches in the foothills and mountains. — Madison Park, CNN, "'Atmospheric river' triggers evacuations in Southern California," 21 Mar. 2018 But the record rainfall still won’t make up for the dry November. — Paige Cornwell, The Seattle Times, "‘Waiting to see how it comes in’: Snow at Washington ski areas melts away with rain," 28 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rainfall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Words We're Watching: 'Petrichor'
Words We're Watching: 'Petrichor'
Aka, the scent released when rain hits dry earth
Dictionary Entries near rainfall
Statistics for rainfall
Last Updated
21 May 2019
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for rainfall
The first known use of rainfall was in 1817
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More Definitions for rainfall
rainfall
noun
English Language Learners Definition of rainfall
See the full definition for rainfall in the English Language Learners Dictionary
rainfall
noun
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Kids Definition of rainfall
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