rain (rains plural & 3rd person present) (raining present participle) (rained past tense & past participle )
1 n-uncount Rain is water that falls from the clouds in small drops.
also the N
I hope you didn't get soaked standing out in the rain...
2 n-plural In countries where rain only falls in certain seasons, this rain is referred to as the rains.
usu the N
...the spring, when the rains came...
3 verb When rain falls, you can say that it is raining.
It was raining hard, and she hadn't an umbrella. it V
4 verb If someone rains blows, kicks, or bombs on a person or place, the person or place is attacked by many blows, kicks, or bombs. You can also say that blows, kicks, or bombs rain on a person or place.
The police, raining blows on rioters and spectators alike, cleared the park... V n on n
Rockets, mortars and artillery rounds rained on buildings. V on n
Rain down means the same as rain., phrasal verb
Fighter aircraft rained down high explosives... V P n (not pron)
Grenades and mortars rained down on Dubrovnik. V P on n
5 If you say that someone does something rain or shine, you mean that they do it regularly, without being affected by the weather or other circumstances.
rain or shine phrase Frances took her daughter walking every day, rain or shine. rain off phrasal verb If a sports game is rained off, it has to stop, or it is not able to start, because of rain. (BRIT) Most of the games have been rained off. be V-ed P ...a rained-off cricket match. V-ed P in AM, use rain out rain out phrasal verb If a sports game is rained out, it has to stop, or it is not able to start, because of rain. (AM) Saturday's game was rained out. be V-ed P in BRIT, use rain off
acid rain
Acid rain is rain polluted by acid that has been released into the atmosphere from factories and other industrial processes. Acid rain is harmful to the environment. n-uncount
rain check (rain checks plural )
1 n-sing If you say you will take a rain check on an offer or suggestion, you mean that you do not want to accept it now, but you might accept it at another time.
Can I take a rain check on that?
2 n-count A rain check is a free ticket that is given to people when an outdoor game or event is stopped because of rain or bad weather, so that they can go to it when it is held again.
(AM)
rain-swept , rainswept
A rain-swept place is a place where it is raining heavily. adj ADJ n
He looked up and down the rain-swept street.
