Skip to main content
to rain

to rain

541 1.0
To fall from clouds as small drops of water
  • verb
  • /reɪn/
translation icon : llover
  • If it rains tomorrow, we will need to bring umbrellas.
  • rain every day
  • start to rain
  • still raining

Oh how it didn't rain all night, right?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • In March, it warmed up enough to rain instead of snow.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Late that afternoon, it started raining, and the trees dripped dark water.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Where is it going to rain tonight?

  • But so we're going to, it's supposed to rain, but we'll see.

  • Also... I think it's gonna rain.

  • But look, even though it's raining, it is beautiful.

  • Well, on the bright side at least it's not raining.

  • I didn't think it was going to rain, but it is.

  • It's starting to rain.

  • It just started raining, but the Sky's blue.

Synonyms

to come down
vsto rain
129 1.3

To fall from the sky, as rain, snow, or ash

is only for water drops falling from clouds
to spit
vsto rain
  • UK
1 2.6

To rain in small light drops

is the normal term for falling not limited to light spray
to precipitate
vsto rain
1 5.5

To fall from clouds as rain or snow

is the everyday verb for water drops without technical tone
to bucket down
vsto rain
  • UK
1 6.5

To rain very hard

is the general falling of water drops not necessarily intense
to rain buckets
vsto rain
  • Informal
1 5.6

To pour a lot of water from the sky

is the ordinary verb for drops without implying abundance
3.4

Rain that falls very hard

is the neutral verb for falling without strong force
to come down in stair rods
vsto rain
  • Archaic
9.9

To rain very heavily

is the simple verb for falling not the vivid intense image
drizzling
vsto rain
1.2

Raining very lightly in small misty drops

is the basic verb for falling without suggesting light mist
to mizzle
vsto rain
  • UK
8.8

To fall as very light rain in small drops

is the general action of water falling not the thin drizzle

Idioms

Politely say no now but suggest doing it another time

3 5.9

To rain very hard

to rain check
  • Informal
3 4.5

To say you will do something later instead of now

to rain buckets
  • Informal
1 5.6

To pour a lot of water from the sky

Make someone less happy or excited by pointing out problems

6.1

To enjoy life without worrying about problems

Phrasal Verbs

36 3.4

Fall from above in large amounts, like ash or confetti

4 4.6

To cancel an event like a game or concert because of rain

Compounds

35 4.5

A promise to accept an invitation later when you cannot now

26 1.6

A large thick forest in the tropics with very heavy rain

acid rain
  • Specialized
16 3.3

Rain made acidic by pollution from factories that harms plants and water

How likely it is to rain at a time or place

5 1.0

A short period of rain that starts suddenly

4 1.0

A dark grey cloud that brings rain

4 1.6

Clothing and items like a raincoat or umbrella that keep you dry in rain

3 7.5

A traditional dance people do to ask for rain

A large area of tall trees near the equator that gets heavy rain and has many plants and animals

2 3.3

A large container that collects rainwater from roofs for later use

1 1.0

Rain that falls in the morning

1 8.1

A hollow tube with small stones inside that makes a rain sound when tilted

rain man
  • Slur
1 9.9

A person who remembers many facts and does quick mental sums

1 5.1

A ticket to use later if an event is cancelled because of rain

A sudden very heavy fall of rain that soaks everything

1 7.4

A small tree with hanging clusters of yellow flowers often used in gardens and for Easter decorations

1 3.4

Another day for an outdoor event if rain cancels the first date

rain shadow
  • Specialized
1 6.7

An area with little rain that lies behind mountains

A forest in mild regions that gets a lot of rain

float-type rain gage
  • Specialized
7.9

A device with a float that rests on collected rain to measure how much falls

float-type rain gauge
  • Specialized
7.3

A tool that measures rain using a float on the top of the collected water

rain gage
  • Specialized
3.0

A tool that measures how much rain falls

rain gauge
  • Specialized
3.2

A device that measures how much rain falls

rain tree
  • Specialized
8.6

A large tropical tree with many small leaves, round pink flowers, and seed pods cattle eat

Rain-giver
  • Literature
9.9

A name in ancient stories for the god Jupiter that shows his power to bring rain

rain-wash
  • Specialized
7.7

The washing away of soil from the ground by rain

A short fall of rain that starts without warning

Heavy rain that falls suddenly for a short time

How Heavy

to pelt
8 5.5
to pour
588 1.0
to rain
541 1.0
to drizzle
7 1.0
to sprinkle
8 1.0

Surface Forms

rain infinitive
rained past
rained past participle
raining present participle
rains third person singular

Etymology

The verb rain is the same old word used as an action and simply means 'to fall as drops from clouds', so when we say 'it rains' we mean water is falling from the sky.