1
: the amount of precipitation usually measured by the depth in inches
2
Synonyms
Examples of rainfall in a Sentence
This area has an average annual rainfall of 12 inches.
an increase in annual rainfall
Recent Examples on the Web
So far, the rainfall for 2024’s water year is less than 10 inches — including the unseasonable rain falling April 14 — and more rain this season is not expected.
—
Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Severe storm potential later this week As storms move east, heavier rainfall is expected beginning Tuesday as storms could become more severe.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Apr. 2024
Heavy rainfall and flooding is also a concern within stormy weather early this week.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
Rinse the day away with a rainfall shower head in a custom tile shower and enjoy (the) night with plush beds.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 13 Apr. 2024
Parts of Georgia, Florida and Alabama had 3-5 inches of rainfall.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Flash flooding could bring in 2 inches of rainfall per hour along the Gulf Coast, the National Weather Prediction Center tweeted Wednesday.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
The Seine overflows its banks after heavy rainfall in Paris last week.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
In August, the Open Water Swimming World Cup, to be held in the Seine in Paris, was canceled because of low water quality after above-average rainfall.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Severe storm potential later this week As storms move east, heavier rainfall is expected beginning Tuesday as storms could become more severe.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Apr. 2024
Heavy rainfall and flooding is also a concern within stormy weather early this week.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
Rinse the day away with a rainfall shower head in a custom tile shower and enjoy (the) night with plush beds.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 13 Apr. 2024
Parts of Georgia, Florida and Alabama had 3-5 inches of rainfall.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Flash flooding could bring in 2 inches of rainfall per hour along the Gulf Coast, the National Weather Prediction Center tweeted Wednesday.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
The Seine overflows its banks after heavy rainfall in Paris last week.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
In August, the Open Water Swimming World Cup, to be held in the Seine in Paris, was canceled because of low water quality after above-average rainfall.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rainfall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Rainfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rainfall. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rainfall
noun
rain·fall
-ˌfȯl 
1
: a fall of rain
2
: amount of precipitation
an annual rainfall of 20 inches
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