Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
rainfall

rainfall

67 1.0
The amount of rain that falls in a place over time
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪnˌfɔl/
translation icon : precipitación
  • Thus, the northern part of the country, which receives virtually no rainfall, is completely dependent on irrigation for agriculture.
  • heavy rainfall
  • millimeters of rainfall
  • amount of rainfall

At Oswan, Despite worldwide attempts at clouds seeding, the amounts of rainfall continued to diminish.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Florida's been hit with unprecedented winds and rainfall, massive flooding.

  • So we know a lot about how rainfall patterns will change in a warming world.

  • Which country has the least rainfall each year?

  • It's going to mean heavy rainfall and flash-flooding concerns right as we get through the end of the week.

    The Invisible Man (2020)

  • A forest generates its own rainfall.

    Time to Choose (2015)

  • Scientists attribute this water shortage to the lack of rainfall the last two years.

    V for Vendetta (2006)

  • The longer, warmer days and frequent rainfall had brought new growth leaping out of the ground.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Fifteen inches of rainfall possible across parts of Puerto Rico.

    Force of Nature (2020)

  • Despite heavy rainfall and animal attacks, they produced above-average yields of maize and manioc.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The region experienced heavy rainfall over the weekend, causing local rivers to overflow.

Synonyms

rain
vsrainfall
∞ 1.0

Water that falls from clouds in small drops

measures how much water falls in a place over a period
pluviosity
vsrainfall
  • Specialized
1 9.9

The amount of rain that falls in a place in a month or year

is the general everyday term for the same measured amount

How Much

downpour
24 2.7
rainfall
67 1.0
shower
162 1.0
drizzle
21 1.0

Surface Forms

rainfall singular
rainfalls plural

Morphology

rainfall = rain + fall (transparent) = rain + fall

A straightforward compound of 'rain' + 'fall' whose meaning ('amount of rain that falls') follows directly from its components.

Etymology

Rainfall is made from rain and fall and literally means the 'fall' of rain. So, rainfall is the amount of rain that falls in a place during a period of time, like rain filling a bucket to show how much came down.