/ reɪn; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ U , sing. ] water that falls from the sky in separate drops :
There will be rain in all parts tomorrow.
Rain is forecast for the weekend.
Don't go out in the rain.
It's pouring with rain (= raining very hard) .
heavy / torrential / driving rain
The rain poured down.
It looks like rain (= as if it is going to rain) .
A light rain began to fall.
I think I felt a drop of rain.
—see also acid rain , rainy ➡ note at weather
2.
the rains [ pl. ] the season of heavy continuous rain in tropical countries :
The rains come in September.
3.
[ sing. ] rain of sth a large number of things falling from the sky at the same time :
a rain of arrows / stones
•
IDIOMS
- come rain, come shine | (come) rain or shine
—more at right adjective
■ verb
1.
[ v ] when it rains , water falls from the sky in drops :
Is it raining?
It had been raining hard all night.
It hardly rained at all last summer.
It started to rain.
2.
rain (sth) (down) (on sb/sth) to fall or to make sth fall on sb/sth in large quantities :
[ v ]
Bombs rained (down) on the city's streets.
Falling debris rained on us from above.
He covered his face as the blows rained down on him (= he was hit repeatedly) .
[ vn ]
The volcano erupted, raining hot ash over a wide area.
•
IDIOMS
- be raining cats and dogs
- it never rains but it pours
- rain on sb's parade
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- be rained off
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English regn (noun), regnian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch regen and German Regen .