rain
/reɪn
/- Winter storms normally bring ordinary rain, freezing rain and sleet as well as snow.
- Weather effects like sand storms or heavy rain and snowfall shorten your units' line of sight and cut their air supply.
- Before long, heavy drops of rain began to pour on the barren landscape.
Synonyms
- The drought loosened its grip in the southeastern States in November, and more emphatically so in January 1941, when heavy rains fell.
- Good general rains fell in 1996, easing the situation until the onset of the next El Niño in 1997.
- A high precipitation super-cell produces very heavy rains, large hail, downbursts and tornadoes.
- Within moments, all ran for cover as a rain of debris began falling.
- The Cityboys formed a rough circle, ignoring the rain of lead that fell on them from above.
- His hand went up to his face and before he had a chance to wonder what had caused it, a rain of small pebbles fell from the sky.
Synonyms
- Rainy season really started with a vengeance today, so the walk to the station was a little damp as it was raining and humid.
- Water comes through the windows when it is raining.
- Sarah's lungs and immune system still have not developed properly and she is not allowed outside while it is raining, in case she catches pneumonia.
- I have an image of my house with a small cloud continuously raining over it like the house where the Munster's lived.
- I kept staring up, my head bent back and stared as the smoky gray clouds rained on me.
- Farther away, they could see a low patch of clouds in the sky that was raining.
- As the bombs rained down I instinctively dropped to ground, the kids immediately followed suit.
- But the next assault is just around the corner, and the band's talent for stringing out the quiet moments makes the next shower of blows rain down even harder.
- Blows rained down on me from all sides and I fell to the floor under a merciless avalanche of abuse.
Synonyms
- Along with the gusty winds, torrential rains and the punishing power shutdowns, it rained snakes of all sizes and colours on the city.
- Above was nothing, but a pale pink glow even as it rained flowers.
- This night couldn't get any better if it rained rubies and diamonds.
Phrases
be as right as rain
it never rains but it pours
rain cats and dogs
rain on someone's parade
(come) rain or shine
Phrasal verbs
be rained off (or out)
Derivatives
rainless
- The river is more a stream, eventually splitting into marshy islets and after such a rainless spring was bone dry for a mile of so.
- The desert sand provides a soft base for delicate asparagus spears, while the warm, rainless coastal climate enables farmers to control moisture and fertilizer.
- The long period of hot, sultry, humid, rainless weather has finally broken this morning, with a long, rumbling storm.
Origin
Old English regn (noun), regnian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch regen and German Regen.
The word rain, spelt regn in Old English, features in a number of sayings and common expressions. The phrase it is raining cats and dogs is first found in the 18th century, but the alternative rain dogs and polecats goes back a further hundred years. That in the past, gullible people might have believed that drowned dogs and cats seen floating in flooded streets had fallen from the skies during the previous heavy downpour is the best that has been found by way of explanation. Someone concerned about a future period of financial need might talk about saving for a rainy day. This may go back to the days when farm labourers working on a casual basis needed to save a proportion of their wages for times when bad weather stopped them working and earning money. One way of politely refusing an offer is to imply that you might take it up at a later date, or take a rain check. In the USA a rain check is a ticket given to spectators at a sporting event. If the event is cancelled because of rain—or ‘rained off’—they can then claim a refund.