rain
/reɪn/ IELTSAcademic
noun
Water that falls from clouds in drops. It is a common form of weather.
- The rain started after lunch.
- We stayed indoors because of the rain.
verb
If it rains, water falls from the clouds. It can also mean to send or pour down a lot of something.
- It may rain tonight.
- Tears rained down her face.
Adinary Nuance
Rain is the usual word for water falling from the sky. Use shower for a short period of rain, and drizzle for very light rain. Downpour means heavy rain, and storm suggests stronger weather with wind or thunder.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- mưa
- Spanish
- lluvia
- Chinese
- 雨
- Japanese
- 雨
- Korean
- 비
Etymology
Old English rēn or regn, from Germanic roots. It has been used in English since early medieval times.
Common phrases
heavy rainlight rainrainfallrainy season
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is 'rain' countable or uncountable?
- Usually it is uncountable: "The rain was heavy."
- What is the difference between 'rain' and 'shower'?
- 'Shower' means a short spell of rain. 'Rain' is the general word.
- Can 'rain' be a verb?
- Yes. You can say, "It will rain tomorrow."