often attributive
rained; raining; rains
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
Synonyms
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Ziad Jaber, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023
Even southern New England and inland areas, like Pennsylvania, could see 1 to 2 inches of rain this weekend.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023
Along with the storm surge and about 1 to 3 inches of rain, winds sustained around 30 mph and frequent gusts near or past 40 mph are possible Saturday afternoon and evening.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023
Tropical storms typically bring a little bit of rain, but this was substantial.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
Around 3 inches of rain is possible in coastal areas from North Carolina to New Jersey.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2023
In a seven-hour period beginning around 5 a.m. Sunday, the north central part of Hammond received 4.24 inches of rain, 2 inches of which were concentrated within a single hour, according to the city.
—Alex Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023
Hundreds of Libyans protested on Monday from the devastated eastern city of Derna, demanding the removal of those responsible a week after torrential rains burst two dams and unleashed a catastrophe that killed thousands.
—Hwaida Saad, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
The coast is likely to see temps reach into the 60s, and light rain is possible along the northern beaches.
—oregonlive, 18 Sep. 2023
Ziad Jaber, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023
In months that followed, bombs rained down on the northeastern metropolis almost daily, wrecking hundreds of buildings, killing and maiming civilians and scattering much of the prewar population of 1.4 million people.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
The shredded steel and concrete slabs that rained down from the World Trade Center.
—Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2023
Maybe for the tortillas and beer that rained down on their sideline.
—Bill Oram, oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2023
Thunderclouds lurked on a ridge near her 27-acre property, but didn’t seem ready to rain down relief on her withering raspberries and sunflowers.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2023
But Gauff’s legs and grit—and the deafening encouragement of which rained down on the court in Ashe—had broken Sabalenka’s big game, and eventually her will.
—Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2023
Images and news reports posted in the days afterward showed boulders of concrete and rebar blasting into the air during liftoff, and there were accounts of particulates raining down on nearby Port Isabel.
—Ramin Skibba, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2023
The launch in April caused extensive damage to the pad and immediate surrounding areas, kicking up dirt and dust that rained down on towns miles away, problems that were predicted by some observers citing the lack of a trench or water system to divert the rocket’s flames.
—Richard Lawler, The Verge, 8 Sep. 2023
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Noun
Here’s how the heavy rain turned so deadly in Libya.
—Ziad Jaber, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023
Even southern New England and inland areas, like Pennsylvania, could see 1 to 2 inches of rain this weekend.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023
Along with the storm surge and about 1 to 3 inches of rain, winds sustained around 30 mph and frequent gusts near or past 40 mph are possible Saturday afternoon and evening.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023
Tropical storms typically bring a little bit of rain, but this was substantial.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
Around 3 inches of rain is possible in coastal areas from North Carolina to New Jersey.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2023
In a seven-hour period beginning around 5 a.m. Sunday, the north central part of Hammond received 4.24 inches of rain, 2 inches of which were concentrated within a single hour, according to the city.
—Alex Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023
Hundreds of Libyans protested on Monday from the devastated eastern city of Derna, demanding the removal of those responsible a week after torrential rains burst two dams and unleashed a catastrophe that killed thousands.
—Hwaida Saad, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
The coast is likely to see temps reach into the 60s, and light rain is possible along the northern beaches.
—oregonlive, 18 Sep. 2023
Verb
The people were used to occasional flooding, and on Sept. 10, even rain heavy enough to fill the first dam did not sound the alarm.
—Ziad Jaber, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023
In months that followed, bombs rained down on the northeastern metropolis almost daily, wrecking hundreds of buildings, killing and maiming civilians and scattering much of the prewar population of 1.4 million people.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
The shredded steel and concrete slabs that rained down from the World Trade Center.
—Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2023
Maybe for the tortillas and beer that rained down on their sideline.
—Bill Oram, oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2023
Thunderclouds lurked on a ridge near her 27-acre property, but didn’t seem ready to rain down relief on her withering raspberries and sunflowers.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2023
But Gauff’s legs and grit—and the deafening encouragement of which rained down on the court in Ashe—had broken Sabalenka’s big game, and eventually her will.
—Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2023
Images and news reports posted in the days afterward showed boulders of concrete and rebar blasting into the air during liftoff, and there were accounts of particulates raining down on nearby Port Isabel.
—Ramin Skibba, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2023
The launch in April caused extensive damage to the pad and immediate surrounding areas, kicking up dirt and dust that rained down on towns miles away, problems that were predicted by some observers citing the lack of a trench or water system to divert the rocket’s flames.
—Richard Lawler, The Verge, 8 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Phrases Containing rain
Dictionary Entries Near rain
Cite this Entry
“Rain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rain. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
rain
2 of 2 verb1
: 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
Nglish: Translation of rain for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of rain for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rain
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