Skip to main content
rainstorm

rainstorm

26 1.0
A short time when a lot of rain falls, often with strong wind
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪnˌstɔrm/
translation icon : tormenta
  • We had to cancel the picnic because a sudden rainstorm rolled in unexpectedly.
  • torrential rainstorm
  • heavy rainstorm
  • intense rainstorm

At the end of every rainstorm, the sun comes out.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • From this vantage, Gillespie and Salt can see a threatening rainstorm sweeping in over the San Francisco Bay.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • For example, a large rainstorm might wash nutrient rich sediment from a forest into a lake.

  • At the end of every rainstorm, the sun comes out.

  • One good rainstorm and the castle will slide right into the river.

  • I was in a rainstorm in the Grand Canyon.

  • Oh, that rainstorm really kicked up some mud last night.

  • (ON TV) The biggest rainstorm in Texas history.

  • And there was always the risk of a rainstorm; even a brief shower would wash away a delicate fossil.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You want to get somewhere on time, we might say, but a rainstorm comes down and you can't drive safely.

  • During an afternoon rainstorm, Mills and the others sought refuge under a haystack.

    Academic text (2003)

Synonyms

thunderstorm
vsrainstorm
73 1.0

A storm with thunder and lightning that often has heavy rain or hail

is broader bad weather with heavy rain and often strong wind
downpour
vsrainstorm
24 2.7

A heavy and sudden fall of rain

covers a longer bad weather period rather than a single sudden event
deluge
vsrainstorm
11 6.3

A very heavy rain that causes flooding

is heavy rain too but without implying flooding or extreme scale
rain shower
vsrainstorm
5 1.0

A short period of rain that starts suddenly

is a more substantial bad-weather episode often stronger and windier
thundershower
vsrainstorm
4 3.8

A short rainstorm with thunder and lightning

is typically a longer, windier bad-weather period with heavy rain
torrent
vsrainstorm
3 4.4

A very heavy fall of rain that starts suddenly

is wider in scope, covering extended bad weather not only brief outbursts
cloudburst
vsrainstorm
2 6.3

A sudden very heavy rain that falls for a short time

is a more general bad-weather period rather than a brief intense burst
torrent of rain
vsrainstorm
1 3.0

A sudden very heavy fall of rain that soaks everything

describes a general wet weather period often with wind rather than only sudden rain
soaker
vsrainstorm
  • US
1 4.2

A short time of very heavy rain

can include wind and longer bad weather, not only soaking rain
pelter
vsrainstorm
  • Archaic
9.9

A heavy sudden rain that soaks people quickly

is a broader weather episode often lasting longer and with wind
spate of rain
vsrainstorm
6.3

Heavy rain that falls suddenly for a short time

is less about short outbreaks and more about an overall bad weather period
speight
vsrainstorm
  • Archaic
9.9

A sudden heavy fall of rain that soaks quickly

names a general period of bad weather with heavy rain and wind

Antonyms

178 3.7

A long time with no rain that makes the land very dry

51 2.0

To become clear after cloudy or rainy weather

How Heavy

deluge
11 6.3
rainstorm
26 1.0
downpour
24 2.7
rain
77 1.0
shower
162 1.0
drizzle
21 1.0

Surface Forms

rainstorm singular
rainstorms plural

Morphology

rainstorm = rain + storm (transparent) = rain + storm

The word is a straightforward compound of 'rain' + 'storm' and its meaning is directly predictable from those components.

Etymology

Rainstorm is simply the two common words rain ('water falling from clouds') and storm ('strong, bad weather'), so it literally means a time of heavy, often windy, rain.