Meaning & use
rain
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Meanings
noununcountable
Drops of water that fall from clouds to the ground as part of the weather.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: we say 'a lot of rain', not 'many rains'; the plural 'rains' is used for a seasonal rainy period.
Patterns
- in the rain
- rain on something
We waited under the bridge until the rain stopped.
There has been very little rain in the valley this summer.
She walked home in the pouring rain without a coat.
nounsingularfigurative
A large number of things that fall or arrive together, like drops from the sky.
Grammar: Used with 'of' and a plural noun: a rain of stones, a rain of questions.
Patterns
- a rain of something
A rain of confetti fell on the winning team.
The speaker was met with a rain of angry questions.
After the explosion, a rain of ash covered the town.
verbintransitive
To fall from the sky in drops of water; the subject is nearly always 'it'.
Grammar: No object, and the subject is usually 'it': it rained all night.
Patterns
- it rains
- it rains on someone
It rained for three days without a break.
I hope it doesn't rain on the day of the wedding.
It was raining when we left the station.
verbintransitivefigurative
To fall or be thrown down in great numbers, often onto someone.
Grammar: Takes a plural or mass subject and usually 'down' or 'on': praise rained down on her.
Patterns
- something rains down on someone
- rain down
Cheers rained down from the balconies as the parade passed.
Small stones rained on the roof during the landslide.
Offers of help rained in after the news of the flood.
Word forms
| third person singular | rains |
|---|---|
| past tense | rained |
| past participle | rained |
| -ing form | raining |
| plural | rains |
Common combinations
- heavy rain
- Heavy rain caused flooding on several roads.
- pouring rain
- The match went ahead in pouring rain.
- acid rain
- Acid rain has damaged many forests in the region.
- rain or shine
- The market opens every Saturday, rain or shine.
- light rain
- A light rain was falling when we arrived.
- rain check
- I can't come tonight, but can I take a rain check?
Synonyms and how they differ
- downpour
- A downpour is a sudden, very heavy fall of rain, whereas rain can be light or heavy and lasts any length of time.
- drizzle
- Drizzle is fine, light rain, so it is much gentler than ordinary rain.
- shower
- A shower is a short spell of rain that starts and stops quickly, while rain may continue all day.
- precipitation
- Precipitation is the technical weather-report term that also covers snow, sleet and hail, so it is broader and more formal than rain.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rain or reign? rain or rein?
rain vs reign
Reign sounds the same but means the period when a king or queen rules, or the act of ruling; it has nothing to do with weather.
rain vs rein
A rein is a strap used to guide a horse; it is also pronounced like rain, so check the spelling.
Practice
Take an umbrella; heavy ___ is expected this evening.
Choose one answer.
Rain is the uncountable noun for water falling from clouds. Reign and rein sound the same but mean ruling and a horse strap, and rainy is an adjective that cannot follow 'heavy' here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rain”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.