rainstorms

noun

plural of rainstorm
as in rains
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity we ran into a big rainstorm on Highway 6, and the visibility was so poor we had to pull over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 rainstorms Other sensational Sepang memories involve the severe rainstorms that regularly threaten this track. — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Leftover moisture from Hurricane Polo and Tropical Storm Odalys will merge with an already existing trough, which brings cold temperatures and rainy weather, to intensify rainstorms, AccuWeather forecasters said in a news release. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2026 Northeast 56th Street in front of Northeast High School turned into a lake, a recurring problem following relentless rainstorms. — Joan Murray, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 The usual way to study cosmic rainstorms is by placing hundreds of specialized cameras across several miles of land. — Jesse Liu, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026 The last few weeks in South Florida have seen daily bands of rainstorms, along with thunder and lightning that have canceled outdoor activities. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026 During heavy rainstorms, the Pigeon River would sometimes creep over Hyder Mountain Road 40 feet away. — Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026 According to the National Park Service, 62 people were airlifted out of the area in the midst of the rainstorms on August 29, and nearly all the footbridges that once crossed Bright Angel Creek have been washed away. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026 Early-season rainstorms and cooling temperatures can help plants establish roots, meaning your outdoor fall to-do list isn’t limited to just raking leaves. — Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rainstorms
  1. rains
  2. storms
Noun
  • When her 2025 set at Bonnaroo was canceled after heavy rains inundated the festival grounds, Wolf’s team booked a pop-up show for her at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Flooding rains will be a primary concern, with several showers from Rachel having already reached the United States shoreline as of 2 pm Saturday.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of rains
Noun
  • These storms, combined with high tides and the Kelvin wave, which can add 6 to 12 inches to background sea levels, have resulted in significant damage and a reshaping of the coast over the summer.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • From near-record heat to possible patchy frost, with severe storms in between, Kansas City faces a wild weather week, the National Weather Service says.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of storms

Browse Nearby Words

rainstorm
rainstorms
rainwear
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rainstorms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rainstorms. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All