often attributive
rained; raining; rains
1
: to send down rain
2
: to fall as water in drops from the clouds
3
: to fall like rain
soot and ash rained down
Synonyms
Examples of rain in a Sentence
Noun
The weatherman forecasts rain for this afternoon.
Everyone went inside when the rain began to fall.
What the garden needs is a good, soaking rain.
A light rain began to fall.
There has been some flooding due to the recent heavy rains.
We've had a week of rain.
The rains came and flooded the valley.
Verb
Sparks from the fireworks rained on the field.
The volcano rained ashes on the city.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
Because waterproofness isn't as critical in sleeping bags (compared to a rain jacket), there's usually no difference between PFC-free sleeping bags and those that aren't.
—Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2024
Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
Israel has continued to pound Hezbollah, and rockets have continued to rain down on northern Israel.
—Tia Goldenberg and Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rain 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Once the atmosphere responds to changes in oceanic temperature, more tropical rain tends to fall in Asia and Australia.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
Because waterproofness isn't as critical in sleeping bags (compared to a rain jacket), there's usually no difference between PFC-free sleeping bags and those that aren't.
—Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
With the snow giving away to rain in the early afternoon, roads have improved in time for most people's evening commutes.
—Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
Israel has continued to pound Hezbollah, and rockets have continued to rain down on northern Israel.
—Tia Goldenberg and Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rain
Dictionary Entries Near rain
Cite this Entry
“Rain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rain. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rain
2 of 2 verb1
: to fall as water in drops from the clouds
2
: to send down rain
3
: to fall like rain
ashes rained from the volcano
4
: to give in large amounts
rained blows on each other
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