RAINS Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

rains 1 of 2

noun

plural of rain

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

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

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

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

In addition to the potential hurricane-force wind gusts, tornadoes are possible near the two islands, and heavy rains are expected throughout the main islands, the hurricane center's specialists warned. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2026 Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell were pelting Hawaii's western islands early Tuesday, bringing the threat of floods, mudslides and tornadoes. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026 But not all regions saw a decrease, as late August rains helped mitigate drought conditions. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2026 The hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, posed a risk to all the major islands due to the possibility of heavy rains and landslides, forecasters warned. — Phil Helsel, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026 The Chicago area experienced heavy rains and high heat this summer, conditions experts and community members believe are contributing to higher-than-usual mosquito activity. — Elena Tittel, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 Those conditions, as well as heavy rains and mountainous terrain, made access even by air difficult at times. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026 El Niño is likely to exacerbate the impact of torrential rains in neighboring Ghana that have damaged crops and increased the prevalence of the plant-killing black pod disease. — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026 The rains came from a typical monsoon storm; these storms rake across the Grand Canyon and the desert Southwest between June and September every year. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026

Verb

As God rains down sulfur and fire to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s wife glances back and turns into a pillar of salt. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026 This dust accumulates in the corners, lurks under the sofa, and rains down on your lampshades. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 July 2026 Rain like it almost never rains in the desert around Las Vegas. — Eric Boodman, STAT, 23 Mar. 2026 Time seems to collapse in on itself when bombs keep dropping overhead, and the act of trying to visit a next-door neighbor becomes a matter of life or death as sniper fire rains down. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 21 Feb. 2026 That and the fact it never rains. — Lauren Bans, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rains

Noun

Saharan dust, a mass of dry, dusty air, can inhibit the development of tropical systems and storms.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026
Although an El Niño year doesn’t guarantee such storms will develop, the climate pattern tilts the odds in favor of a rainier-than-normal winter across Southern California.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of storms

Noun

The barrages prompted Putin last month to decree that the state temporarily can seize control of critical infrastructure facilities if private owners fail to protect them from Ukrainian drone attacks or don’t rebuild them after strikes.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
For weeks this past spring, Israelis sought shelter from Iranian ballistic missile barrages, sometimes sleeping in underground train stations and parking lots.

— Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of barrages

Noun

There have been heavy rainfalls since, but because its location is so near to the equator, where ferocious winds can’t properly spin, the lush land has been spared from the worst.

— DeMarco Williams, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
That increase has already led to more sunny day flooding, intensified rainfalls and hurricanes, reflected in higher and higher insurance premiums.

— Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

Definition of rainfalls

Noun

The record may come as no surprise after a summer marked by extreme weather, from wildfires to floods, and on the cusp of what scientists believe will be a historic El Niño.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2026
Each El Niño seems to include some unexpected results, especially regarding where droughts and floods appear.

— Steven Paton, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of floods

Verb

Within the cells, electricity plates out pure elemental metals and selectively precipitates battery compounds like lithium carbonate.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Again, an ammonium fluoride solution is one of the starting materials; the silicon dioxide simply precipitates out of this solution.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026

Definition of precipitates

Verb

Bogost lavishes praise on hobbies (fly-fishing), crafts (knitting), and trades (woodworking) as ways to dwell in sensory experience.

— Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 17 June 2026
In one particularly confessional episode, the Belgian star lavishes his wife with praise while waxing lyrical about his past mistakes.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026