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
That broke the record for the greatest rainfall amount ever recorded in the Lower 48 from a single storm, WeatherBug reported. — John Bacon, USA TODAY, "Houston streets flood again, dampening July 4th celebrations," 4 July 2018 Light rainfall is expected to douse Northern California again Wednesday and Thursday as a cold system from the Gulf of Alaska moves southeast. — Benjy Egel, sacbee, "Snow expected as low as 2,000 feet in coming storm to begin Wednesday | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Jan. 2018 Scientists say climate change likely boosted rainfall totals for both storms. — Seth Borenstein, The Seattle Times, "Florence is nation’s second wettest storm, behind Harvey," 25 Sep. 2018 This should only amplify rainfall totals as the storm's core remains offshore, with access to warm Atlantic waters to regenerate rain-making bands of precipitation. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "The Hurricane Florence forecast has gone from bad to worse," 12 Sep. 2018 Climate change has altered rainfall patterns across the globe. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Climate Change Will Bring Us Heavy Rains and Droughts at the Same Time," 14 Dec. 2018 Record rainfall had raised its surface 35 feet, flooding cabins and marinas into a muddy inland sea. — Ken Jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, "This Texas Lake Developed a Boat-Swallowing Whirlpool," 3 Sep. 2018 Jason Kirk, Jacksonville District Commander for the Corps, especially when the lake’s levels swelled with May’s record-breaking rainfall. — Alex Harris, miamiherald, "Army Corps can’t promise 2016’s algae blooms won’t return, but this strategy may help," 12 July 2018 Plants do not grow easily in Doha, which gets about three inches of rainfall per year. — Andrew Keh, New York Times, "The 2022 World Cup Plants Some Trees and Prepares to Step Into the Spotlight," 12 July 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
12 Feb 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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