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
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Recent Examples of rainstorms
Zippers and clasps are built to stand up to daily use—mine has even encountered a few rainstorms—without losing shine or functionality.
—
Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2025
The Miami office of the National Weather Service said the region could see 1 to 2 inches of rain over the weekend, with some spots seeing up to 3 inches under particularly heavy rainstorms.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Mosquitoes need water to breed, so limit standing water around your home by cleaning gutters and downspouts, removing leaves from low-lying areas and draining dishes under flower pots after rainstorms.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Heavy rainstorms blew into the area Monday night and more rain could come Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service in Boise.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 30 Sep. 2025
Hong Kong has experienced unusually severe rainl this year, including four black rainstorms — the city’s highest tier of heavy rain — within eight days from late July to early August.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
But the ground level faces severe flooding risks through a combination of rainstorms and earthquakes that bring soil water to the surface, per a study conducted in 2016 by the San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
Summer also brings on rainstorms with lightning and flash flooding.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2025
Scientists across the globe agree that nations need to rapidly embrace renewable energy to stave off the worst effects of climate change, including extreme heat and drought; larger, more intense wildfires and supercharged hurricanes, typhoons and rainstorms that lead to catastrophic flooding.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Aug. 2025
Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2025
The Miami office of the National Weather Service said the region could see 1 to 2 inches of rain over the weekend, with some spots seeing up to 3 inches under particularly heavy rainstorms.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Mosquitoes need water to breed, so limit standing water around your home by cleaning gutters and downspouts, removing leaves from low-lying areas and draining dishes under flower pots after rainstorms.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Heavy rainstorms blew into the area Monday night and more rain could come Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service in Boise.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 30 Sep. 2025
Hong Kong has experienced unusually severe rainl this year, including four black rainstorms — the city’s highest tier of heavy rain — within eight days from late July to early August.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
But the ground level faces severe flooding risks through a combination of rainstorms and earthquakes that bring soil water to the surface, per a study conducted in 2016 by the San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
Summer also brings on rainstorms with lightning and flash flooding.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2025
Scientists across the globe agree that nations need to rapidly embrace renewable energy to stave off the worst effects of climate change, including extreme heat and drought; larger, more intense wildfires and supercharged hurricanes, typhoons and rainstorms that lead to catastrophic flooding.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rainstorms
Noun
-
The hurricane center also is watching a disturbed area over the Bay of Campeche in the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico that has a minimal chance of formation but is forecast to bring heavy rains to portions of Belize, the Yucatan Peninsula and southern Mexico this week.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The storm is currently moving north-northwest at about 5 mph, and is expected to bring heavy rains and gusty winds over parts of southwestern Mexico on Monday.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The organization focuses on the big disasters that often grip the headlines, such as wildfires, floods, and hurricanes – but also offers information about preparing for winter storms, tsunamis, tornados, lightning, hail and extreme heat.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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With a constellation of eyes in the sky, forecasters could suddenly monitor conditions over oceans and remote landmasses, filling in major gaps in their models and providing an early warning system about potential storms forming far away.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rainstorms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rainstorms. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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