rain
/reɪn/ (bre, ipa) · /reɪn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈrān/ (ame, mw)
rain — noun
1. the small drops of water that come out of clouds and reach the ground
the small drops of water that come out of clouds and reach the ground
The rain fell hard on the roof of the wooden cabin all afternoon.
collocation: rain fell hard
Iker forgot his umbrella and got completely soaked in the rain yesterday.
collocation: soaked in the rain
Adaeze could hear the rain hitting the window as she made dinner.
Gardens need plenty of rain in the summer to keep the plants healthy.
- rainwater
focuses on water that has already fallen and been collected, not the falling process
- precipitation
a technical term covering rain, snow, sleet, and hail; register is formal or scientific
- sunshine
sunny weather with no rain
文法句型
the + rain
rain + verb (falls/stops/comes)
用法筆記
Rain is an uncountable noun in this sense — you cannot say 'a rain' or 'two rains' to refer to falling water. Use 'a drop of rain' or 'some rain' instead.
常見錯誤
2. a long period in tropical parts of the world when it rains nearly every day
a long period in tropical parts of the world when it rains nearly every day
The rains in southern India arrive in June and last for about three months.
plural form 'rains' for the season
Yara's family stores extra food before the rains begin each year.
During the rains, the dirt roads in this village become too muddy for cars.
Nora's family plants rice at the start of the rains each spring.
- monsoon
more specific — refers to a seasonal wind system that brings rain, especially in South and Southeast Asia
- rainy season
exact synonym, more transparent in meaning
- dry season
the period of the year with little or no rain in tropical climates
文法句型
the rains + verb
during the rains
用法筆記
In this sense, rain is usually plural ('the rains') and always takes the definite article. It refers specifically to the annual rainy season in tropical or monsoon climates, not to ordinary rainy weather.
常見錯誤
3. a sudden large number of objects that fall or arrive all at once
a sudden large number of objects that fall or arrive all at once
The winning team was cheered as a rain of confetti fell from above.
figurative pattern: a rain of [something]
After the speech, a rain of complaints arrived at the mayor's office within hours.
Beatriz opened her mailbox to find a rain of letters from fans worldwide.
Pim watched a rain of flower petals fall on the wedding guests below.
文法句型
a rain of + noun (plural)
rain of + noun
用法筆記
This is a figurative sense — the objects are not literally water. The phrase 'a rain of' is used to emphasize both the quantity and the sense of things coming down or arriving continuously.
rain — verb
- rainpresent simple I / you / we / they
- rains3rd person singular
- raining-ing form
- rainedpast simple
1. when water drops fall from clouds in the sky onto the ground
when water drops fall from clouds in the sky onto the ground
Yuna looked out the window and saw that it was raining again this morning.
dummy subject 'it' for weather verb
Last night it rained so heavily that the streets turned into small rivers.
adverb: rained heavily
The weather report says it will rain this weekend, so bring your umbrella.
If it does not rain tomorrow, the school will hold the sports day outside.
- pour
means to rain very heavily; 'it poured all day' is stronger than 'it rained'
- clear up
when the rain stops and the sky becomes brighter
文法句型
it rains
it is raining
it rained
it will rain
用法筆記
This verb always takes the dummy subject 'it' — you cannot say 'the sky rains' or 'the cloud rained.' The subject 'it' does not refer to anything specific; it is a grammatical requirement of weather verbs in English.