as in rains
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity
a torrential rainfall washed away most of the little sprouts in our vegetable garden
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Recent Examples of rainfalls
During years of drought, when the water level dropped, trees grew in the lake bed, but when water returned following heavy rainfalls, the trees lost all their leaves and were just bare trunks and branches.
—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025
The researchers analyzed tree-ring data from across Europe to see how temperatures fluctuated across the century leading up to the Black Death to better understand the massive rainfalls Bauch had seen referenced in records.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025
Bacteria thrive in warm water, and runoff from intense rainfalls rises.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
Warmer air, for example, boosts evaporation, which leads to more moisture entrained in the atmosphere, intensifying rainfalls, while warmer oceans provide an energy source for more violent hurricanes.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Cameroon is subject to very heavy rainfalls.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
The river will still become polluted after heavy rainfalls due to runoff from the streets and flushing of city sewage systems.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025
The researchers analyzed tree-ring data from across Europe to see how temperatures fluctuated across the century leading up to the Black Death to better understand the massive rainfalls Bauch had seen referenced in records.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025
Bacteria thrive in warm water, and runoff from intense rainfalls rises.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
Warmer air, for example, boosts evaporation, which leads to more moisture entrained in the atmosphere, intensifying rainfalls, while warmer oceans provide an energy source for more violent hurricanes.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Cameroon is subject to very heavy rainfalls.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
The river will still become polluted after heavy rainfalls due to runoff from the streets and flushing of city sewage systems.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rainfalls
rains
Noun
-
But the recent rains do mean that soils remain wet, which can leave trees more vulnerable to high winds and hillsides more vulnerable to rockfalls and slides.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The hotter temperatures are sparking changes in precipitation—rainier rains and drier droughts.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rainfalls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rainfalls. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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