Meaning & use
drizzle
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Meanings
noununcountable
Very light rain made of tiny drops that fall steadily and gently.
Grammar: Uncountable, so no plural and no 'a' before it: 'We had drizzle all morning.'
Patterns
- a drizzle of rain
- in the drizzle
- light drizzle
A cold drizzle fell all afternoon, so we stayed inside.
The drizzle was so fine that I didn't bother with an umbrella.
By evening the drizzle had turned into heavy rain.
verbintransitive
To rain lightly in fine, steady drops.
Grammar: No object; usually used with 'it' as the subject: 'It drizzled all day.'
Patterns
- it drizzles
- it was drizzling
It was drizzling when we left the house, so we took our coats.
It drizzled on and off for most of the weekend.
verbtransitive
To pour a thin stream of liquid over food.
Grammar: Takes an object; often followed by 'over' or 'with': 'Drizzle the sauce over the fish.'
Patterns
- drizzle something over something
- drizzle something with something
Drizzle a little olive oil over the salad before serving.
She drizzled honey over the yogurt and added nuts.
The chef drizzled chocolate sauce onto the plate.
Word forms
| third person singular | drizzles |
|---|---|
| past tense | drizzled |
| past participle | drizzled |
| -ing form | drizzling |
Common combinations
- light drizzle
- A light drizzle began as we reached the park.
- drizzle olive oil over
- Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and season with salt.
- in the drizzle
- They walked home in the drizzle without umbrellas.
- drizzle with
- Drizzle the cake with warm chocolate sauce.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mist
- Mist is a cloud of tiny water drops in the air and may not fall as rain; drizzle always falls as light rain.
- sprinkle
- As a verb, sprinkle means to scatter small amounts of something, often solid; drizzle is only for liquids in a thin stream.
Opposites
Word family
- drizzly adjective
- Describing weather with light, steady rain.
Commonly confused: drizzle or shower?
drizzle vs shower
A shower is a short period of heavier rain, while drizzle is light and often lasts longer.
Practice
It was _____ when we left, so we didn't need umbrellas.
Choose one answer.
After 'was' we need the -ing form for an action happening at that time: 'was drizzling'. 'Drizzle' is the base form and does not fit after 'was'; 'drizzled' would suggest a completed action, not one in progress.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “drizzle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.