rains 1 of 2

Definition of rainsnext
plural of rain
1
as in storms
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity the rain continued for most of the day

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in barrages
a heavy fall of objects the Norman invaders fled when the castle's defenders threw a rain of stones down upon them

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rains

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rain
1
as in pours
to fall as water in a continuous stream of drops from the clouds it started raining early this morning and hasn't let up since

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in showers
to give readily and in large quantities she rained praise upon her graduating students the squadron rained bombs on the enemy's fortifications

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rains
Noun
Arizona's summer storms that come with the monsoon season, coupled with winter rains, create frequent flooding throughout the state that can prove deadly for motorists. Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 6 Jan. 2026 Rome has been soaked by steady rains since before Christmas, and Mayor Roberto Gualtieri issued an ordinance for Tuesday limiting public access to parks and other areas at risk for falling trees and flooding. Mike Corder, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026 In the fall of 1983, after a prolonged drought, torrential rains fell for three months in Chulucanas, destroying roads, bridges, and two thousand homes. Paul Elie, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026 Add wood ashes to the flower bed in late winter or early spring, and the rains will help the nutrients leach into the soil. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2026 The heavy rains will likely trigger rockslides, mudslides and debris flows in steep terrain, especially in and around these areas. Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026 The country’s mighty rivers and abundant rains mean most of its electricity comes from clean hydroelectric power. Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2025 But the first full trading week of the month saw stocks caught in November rains. Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025 Heavy rains have caused rivers to overflow, washing away entire communities, and have triggered landslides. Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
That and the fact it never rains. Lauren Bans, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026 This dust accumulates in the corners, lurks under the sofa, and rains down on your lampshades. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025 From his pulpit, Wicks rains down selectively vituperative fire and brimstone, with an eye toward provoking walkouts from unsuspecting visitors—say, a gay couple or a single mom. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025 The dust is microscopic asteroid and comet debris that constantly rains in space, eventually making its way to Earth. Regina G. Barber, NPR, 11 Nov. 2025 Sulfuric acid rains down through the sickly yellow sky but never reaches the lava-licked ground. Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025 Now, in preparation for a ground invasion, Israel rains yet more American bombs on Gaza City—another round of mindless, brutal violence against a population that has endured it every day for almost two years. Jack Sheehan september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025 It is hurt, evident by the acid blood that rains down, but the Xenomorph is not dead. Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rains
Noun
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that more than 2,400 potholes have been repaired across the city in the week following a series of powerful winter storms that doused the region with rain over the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
    Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
  • There’s roughly two and a half months left of the winter season, which means that there are plenty of chilly evenings, snow storms, and freeze warnings to look forward to.
    Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The fighting included fighter jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
  • The next day, Thailand launched airstrikes and artillery barrages on Cambodia along the border.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • The nozzle pours a thick stream of concrete while gliding precisely on its course, stacking each layer, one after another, about an inch thick.
    Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Jane pours another glass of wine.
    Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Someone who is good to you, the kind of man who showers you with gifts.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Chatbot use may then be a symptom, Sarma said, akin to how one of his patients with bipolar disorder showers more frequently when entering a manic episode—the showers warn of but do not cause mania.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • 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
Noun
  • Federal authorities from several offices also conducted rescues and life-saving efforts after floods in San Antonio, Texas, DHS said.
    Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Take the heat waves, droughts and floods that dogged a quarter of the European Union last summer.
    Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • But what precipitates an AI winter is some definitive evidence this hype cannot be met.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Majumdar lavishes her characters with careful attention, and so the reader comes to regard their most troubling actions as justified, if not inevitable.
    Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
  • An ancillary of the brand’s best-selling, ambery-woody eau, each aluminum tube contains a quick-absorbing lotion that lavishes skin with moisture, keeping hands feeling comfortable and cuticles softened with its moisturizing blend of avocado oil, shea butter, plus green tea and chamomile extracts.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Rains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rains. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

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