Meaning & use
pouring rain
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
Very heavy rain falling in large amounts and with force.
Grammar: Uncountable and usually after in: in the pouring rain.
Patterns
- in the pouring rain
- stand in the pouring rain
We waited at the bus stop in the pouring rain.
The match went ahead despite the pouring rain.
He walked home in the pouring rain without an umbrella.
adjectivebefore a noun
Falling heavily, used to describe a downpour or the weather.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a pouring rain; mostly used in the fixed phrase.
Patterns
- pouring rain outside
The pouring rain flooded the street by noon.
She ran across the car park through the pouring rain.
A pouring rain soaked the crowd at the festival.
Common combinations
- in the pouring rain
- They danced in the pouring rain.
- stand in the pouring rain
- We had to stand in the pouring rain for an hour.
- caught in the pouring rain
- She was caught in the pouring rain on her way home.
- drive in pouring rain
- Driving in pouring rain needs extra care.
- despite the pouring rain
- The parade continued despite the pouring rain.
Synonyms and how they differ
- downpour
- Downpour is a noun for a sudden, heavy fall of rain, while pouring rain describes the rain as it is actually falling.
- heavy rain
- Heavy rain is the neutral weather-forecast term, and pouring rain sounds more vivid and conversational.
- torrential rain
- Torrential rain is more formal and suggests extreme force, as in flood reports.
- cloudburst
- Cloudburst describes a short, violent burst of rain, whereas pouring rain may last for hours.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pouring rain or poring?
pouring rain vs poring
Poring comes from pore over, meaning to study carefully, so poring rain is a common misspelling of pouring rain.
Practice
Which phrase is spelled correctly for very heavy rain?
Choose one answer.
Pouring rain is the correct form, from the verb pour. Poring would come from pore over, which is a different word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pouring rain”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.