Definition of rainwater
:water fallen as rain that has not collected soluble matter from the soil and is therefore soft
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Examples of rainwater in a Sentence
a bucket filled with rainwater
Recent Examples of rainwater from the Web
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Development has overwhelmed the city’s World War II–era reservoir system of flood control and consumed the wetlands that absorb excess rainwater.
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If the forecast holds for Houston, rainwater would be running down streams and rivers while ocean water is surging up to meet it.
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Once the lava hardened, rainwater dissolved carbon dioxide that the volcanoes had pumped into the atmosphere, washing it back into the ground.
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Mosquitoes lay eggs in the rainwater that pools where the waxy leaves converge.
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Robertson attributed the flooding to the confluence of water surging into Lake Pontchartrain from Cindy and rainwater pumped out of New Orleans and Metairie through the 17th Street Canal.
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Like Bermuda's corrugated limestone rooftops—built by the earliest inhabitants to collect rainwater when faced with a dearth of fresh water sources—these circular gateways, called moongates, have become synonymous with Bermudian architecture.
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Kudos to the company who is now placing finishing touches on the bridge that will hopefully direct rainwater faster than before with the larger pipes install under the bridge.
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The cap will be largely impermeable and contoured so that rainwater runs off into clean ground around the site’s perimeter, and doesn’t pond or penetrate into the waste material beneath.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rainwater.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of rainwater
before 12th century
Rainwater
play
biographical name
Rain·wa·ter
\
ˈrān-ˌwȯ-tər
,
-ˌwä-
\
Definition of Rainwater
L(eo) James 1917–1986 American physicist
RAINWATER Defined for English Language Learners
rainwater
play
noun
Definition of rainwater for English Language Learners
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: water that falls as rain
RAINWATER Defined for Kids
rainwater
play
noun
rain·wa·ter
\
ˈrān-ˌwȯ-tər
,
-ˌwä-
\
Definition of rainwater for Students
:water from rain
Learn More about rainwater
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See words that rhyme with rainwater Spanish Central: Translation of rainwater Nglish: Translation of rainwater for Spanish speakers
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