What does rain mean?

Definitions for rain
reɪnrain

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word rain.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. rain, rainfallnoun

    water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere

  2. rain, rainwaternoun

    drops of fresh water that fall as precipitation from clouds

  3. rain, peltingverb

    anything happening rapidly or in quick successive

    "a rain of bullets"; "a pelting of insults"

  4. rain, rain downverb

    precipitate as rain

    "If it rains much more, we can expect some flooding"

Wiktionary

  1. rainnoun

    Condensed water falling from a cloud.

  2. rainnoun

    Any matter moving or falling, usually through air, and especially if liquid or otherwise figuratively identifiable with raindrops.

  3. rainnoun

    An instance of particles or larger pieces of matter moving or falling through air.

    A rain of mortar fire fell on our trenches.

  4. rainverb

    To have rain fall from the sky.

    It will rain today.

  5. rainverb

    To fall in large quantities.

    Bombs rained from the sky.

  6. rainverb

    To issue (something) in large quantities.

    The boxer rained punches on his opponent's head.

  7. Etymology: reyn, rein, from regn, from regnaz (compare West Frisian rein, Dutch regen, German Regen, Danish regn), from pre-Germanic -, from Hreǵ 'to flow' (cf. Latin rigo, Lithuanian rõki 'drizzling rain', Albanian rrjedh 'to flow, drip').

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Rainnoun

    The moisture that falls from the clouds.

    Etymology: ren , Saxon.

    When shall we three meet again;
    In thunder, lightning, or in rain. William Shakespeare.

    With strange rains, hails, and showers were they persecuted. Wisdom xvi. 16.

    The lost clouds pour
    Into the sea an useless show’r,
    And the vext sailors curse the rain,
    For which poor farmers pray’d in vain. Edmund Waller.

    Rain is water by the heat of the sun divided into very small parts ascending in the air, till encountering the cold, it be condensed into clouds, and descends in drops. John Ray.

  2. To Rainverb

    To pour down as rain.

    It rain’d down fortune, show’ring on your head. William Shakespeare.

    Rain sacrificial whisp’rings in his ear,
    Make sacred even his stirrop. William Shakespeare, Timon of Athens.

    Israel here had famish’d, had not God
    Rain’d from heav’n manna. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. ii.

  3. To RAINverb

    Etymology: renian , Saxon; regenen, Dutch.

    Like a low-hung cloud, it rains so fast,
    That all at once it falls. John Dryden, Knight’s Tale.

    The wind is South-West, and the weather lowring, and like to rain. John Locke.

    The eye marvelleth at the whiteness thereof, and the heart is astonished at the raining of it. Ecclus. xliii. 18.

    They sat them down to weep; nor only tears
    Rain’d at their eyes, but high winds rose within. John Milton.

    That which serves for gain,
    And follows but for form,
    Will pack when it begins to rain,
    And leave thee in the storm. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

Wikipedia

  1. Rain

    Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water for hydroelectric power plants, crop irrigation, and suitable conditions for many types of ecosystems. The major cause of rain production is moisture moving along three-dimensional zones of temperature and moisture contrasts known as weather fronts. If enough moisture and upward motion is present, precipitation falls from convective clouds (those with strong upward vertical motion) such as cumulonimbus (thunder clouds) which can organize into narrow rainbands. In mountainous areas, heavy precipitation is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation which forces moist air to condense and fall out as rainfall along the sides of mountains. On the leeward side of mountains, desert climates can exist due to the dry air caused by downslope flow which causes heating and drying of the air mass. The movement of the monsoon trough, or intertropical convergence zone, brings rainy seasons to savannah climes. The urban heat island effect leads to increased rainfall, both in amounts and intensity, downwind of cities. Global warming is also causing changes in the precipitation pattern globally, including wetter conditions across eastern North America and drier conditions in the tropics. Antarctica is the driest continent. The globally averaged annual precipitation over land is 715 mm (28.1 in), but over the whole Earth it is much higher at 990 mm (39 in). Climate classification systems such as the Köppen classification system use average annual rainfall to help differentiate between differing climate regimes. Rainfall is measured using rain gauges. Rainfall amounts can be estimated by weather radar. Rain is also known or suspected on other planets, where it may be composed of methane, neon, sulfuric acid, or even iron rather than water.

ChatGPT

  1. rain

    Rain is a type of precipitation that occurs when water droplets fall from the atmosphere and reach the Earth's surface. It is a natural process that plays a crucial role in the water cycle and helps to distribute water throughout the planet. Rain typically forms when warm air rises, cools and condenses into clouds, and then precipitates as droplets due to gravity. It is an essential source of freshwater for plants, animals, and human beings, and is essential for the growth and survival of ecosystems.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Rain

    reign

  2. Rainnoun

    water falling in drops from the clouds; the descent of water from the clouds in drops

  3. Rainnoun

    to fall in drops from the clouds, as water; -- used mostly with it for a nominative; as, it rains

  4. Rainnoun

    to fall or drop like water from the clouds; as, tears rained from their eyes

  5. Rainverb

    to pour or shower down from above, like rain from the clouds

  6. Rainverb

    to bestow in a profuse or abundant manner; as, to rain favors upon a person

  7. Etymology: [OE. rein, AS. regen; akin to OFries. rein, D. & G. regen, OS. & OHG. regan, Icel., Dan., & Sw. regn, Goth. rign, and prob. to L. rigare to water, to wet; cf. Gr. bre`chein to wet, to rain.]

Wikidata

  1. Rain

    Rain is liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then precipitated—that is, become heavy enough to fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides suitable conditions for many types of ecosystem, as well as water for hydroelectric power plants and crop irrigation. The major cause of rain production is moisture moving along three-dimensional zones of temperature and moisture contrasts known as weather fronts. If enough moisture and upward motion is present, precipitation falls from convective clouds such as cumulonimbus which can organize into narrow rainbands. In mountainous areas, heavy precipitation is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation which forces moist air to condense and fall out as rainfall along the sides of mountains. On the leeward side of mountains, desert climates can exist due to the dry air caused by downslope flow which causes heating and drying of the air mass. The movement of the monsoon trough, or intertropical convergence zone, brings rainy seasons to savannah climes.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Rain

    rān, n. water from the clouds in drops: a shower: a fall of any substance through the atmosphere in the manner of rain.—v.i. to fall from the clouds: to drop like rain.—v.t. to pour like rain.—ns. Rain′band, a dark band in the solar spectrum; Rain′-bird, a bird, like the Rain′-crow, supposed to foretell rain by its cries and actions; Rain′bow, the brilliant-coloured bow or arch seen when rain is falling opposite the sun, called lunar rainbow when formed by the moon; Rain′bow-dart′er, the soldier-fish.—adjs. Rain′bowed, formed with, or like, a rainbow; Rain′bow-tint′ed, having tints like those of a rainbow: iridescent.—ns. Rain′bow-trout, a variety of the Californian salmon; Rain′-cham′ber, an attachment to a furnace in which the fumes of any metal are condensed; Rain′-chart, -map, a chart giving information as to the distribution of rain in any part of the world; Rain′-cloud, a cloud in meteorology called nimbus; Rain′drop, a drop of rain; Rain′fall, a fall of rain: the amount of water that falls in a given time in the form of rain; Rain′-gauge, an instrument for measuring the quantity of rain that falls; Rain′iness, the state of being rainy.—adj. Rain′less, without rain.—ns. Rain′-mak′er, -doc′tor, a sorcerer, as those of Africa, professing to bring rain; Rain′-pour, a heavy rainfall; Rain′-print, one of the small pits seen on the surfaces of some argillaceous rocks, and believed to be the impressions of raindrops.—adjs. Rain′-proof, -tight, impervious to rain.—ns. Rain′storm; Rain′-tree, the genisaro of South America; Rain′-wa′ter, water which falls in rain from the clouds.—adj. Rain′y, abounding with rain: showery.—Rain cats and dogs (see Cat).—A rainy day (fig.), a time of need or hardship: future want or need; The former and the latter rain, Palestine, the rain in spring and in autumn: rain in its season. [A.S. regn, rén, rain; Dut. and Ger. regen, Ice. regn.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Rain

    Water particles that fall from the ATMOSPHERE.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. rain

    A town of Bavaria, 22 miles north from Augsburg, where the Austrian general Tilly received his mortal wound in 1632.

Editors Contribution

  1. rain

    A form of liquid water.

    Rain is vital to grow plants.


    Submitted by MaryC on January 13, 2020  

Suggested Resources

  1. rain

    Song lyrics by rain -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by rain on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. RAIN

    What does RAIN stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the RAIN acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. RAIN

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Rain is ranked #26630 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Rain surname appeared 915 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Rain.

    74.6% or 683 total occurrences were White.
    8.7% or 80 total occurrences were Asian.
    6% or 55 total occurrences were Black.
    5.4% or 50 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    3.1% or 29 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    1.9% or 18 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'rain' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1720

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'rain' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1588

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'rain' in Nouns Frequency: #736

  4. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'rain' in Verbs Frequency: #904

Anagrams for rain »

  1. Arin

  2. ARIN

  3. arni

  4. Iran

  5. NIRA

  6. rani

  7. Rian

  8. RNAi

  9. nair

How to pronounce rain?

How to say rain in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of rain in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of rain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of rain in a Sentence

  1. Lori Stokes:

    She always had the viewer in mind; whether it was rain, snow, whatever the elements, she was out there, it's what New Yorkers came to know from Lisa Colagrossi: authentic, steady, reassuring reporting.

  2. Elton Garrison:

    We hear them all the time here, so it didnt seem like a big deal. ... I heard a lot of rain with the wind. But when it kind of got calm all of a sudden, thats when it didnt feel right.

  3. Sumie Umeyo:

    But they spoke of record-breaking rain and it started raining heavily, then they began closing the roads. We looked outside and the roads were like rivers.

  4. Neil McGuigan:

    We've had one of the biggest downpours we have had in a long time, we are on the edge, if we get more rain, we will start to develop disease and as soon as that happens, you will not be able to harvest the fruit.

  5. Don Keeney:

    There are some pretty good thunder showers popping. They definitely need the rain and they may get upwards of an inch, but it's not widespread.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

rain#1#2947#10000

Translations for rain

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"rain." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/rain>.

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