torrential
adjective
tor·ren·tial
tȯ-ˈren(t)-shəl 
tə-
1
a
: relating to or having the character of a torrent
torrential rains
b
: caused by or resulting from action of rapid streams
torrential gravel
2
: resembling a torrent in violence or rapidity of flow
Examples of torrential in a Sentence
The rain caused torrential flooding.
Recent Examples on the Web
Even your most water-resistant outerwear will keep you dry for only so long in a torrential downpour or a blizzard.
—
Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2026
At least 11 million people in California are under flood watch as a torrential downpour is expected to bring at least 4 inches of rain across the state this week.
—NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
Katherine, her co-counselor Chloe Childress, and 25 campers were among those swept away as the flood waters rose during a torrential storm last Fourth of July weekend.
—Karen Hua, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
A couple and two children died Thursday night when their shanty was hit by a landslide in a quarry area that was set off by torrential rain in a village in southern Cagayan de Oro city, Office of Civil Defense regional director Antonio Sugarol said.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for torrential
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Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2026
At least 11 million people in California are under flood watch as a torrential downpour is expected to bring at least 4 inches of rain across the state this week.
—NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
Katherine, her co-counselor Chloe Childress, and 25 campers were among those swept away as the flood waters rose during a torrential storm last Fourth of July weekend.
—Karen Hua, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
A couple and two children died Thursday night when their shanty was hit by a landslide in a quarry area that was set off by torrential rain in a village in southern Cagayan de Oro city, Office of Civil Defense regional director Antonio Sugarol said.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for torrential
Cite this Entry
“Torrential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torrential. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
torrential
adjective
tor·ren·tial
tȯ-ˈren-chəl
tə-
: relating to or resembling a torrent
torrential rains
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