RAINS Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

rains 1 of 2

noun

plural of rain

as in storms

a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity the rain continued for most of the day

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in barrages

a heavy fall of objects the Norman invaders fled when the castle's defenders threw a rain of stones down upon them

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rains

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rain

as in pours

to fall as water in a continuous stream of drops from the clouds it started raining early this morning and hasn't let up since

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in showers

to give readily and in large quantities she rained praise upon her graduating students the squadron rained bombs on the enemy's fortifications

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of rains

Noun

The Mexican navy urged the maritime community and coastal residents to exercise extreme caution due to high waves, heavy rains and the risk of rising river levels, flooding and landslides in vulnerable areas. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 However, following his arrest, the owner, Mohammad Khan, blamed this week's rains for weakening one of the roofs, according to police, who said the investigation was still underway. — Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, dry air will persist and dry out any effects of the recent rains. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 That triggered a boom in grass and brush growth, which quickly turned into bone-dry kindling when the rains gave way to more record heat. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 When her 2025 set at Bonnaroo was canceled after heavy rains inundated the festival grounds, Wolf’s team booked a pop-up show for her at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2026 After years of neglect, the once-rotating, 12-foot cross was barely attached and was nearly removed following heavy rains earlier this year. — Mickey Rapkin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026 Isaias is expected to bring heavy rains to Charlotte and the mountains through Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026 This slow-release organic fertilizer boosts soil structure, improves water retention in sandy soils, and prevents erosion and runoff in heavy rains. — Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026

Verb

Light Isaias rains in the Charlotte area Saturday morning are expected to become heavier throughout the day and evening, NWS meteorologists said. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026 But as the water rains down, the sound and lighting shift with the action into more of a movement piece. — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 As God rains down sulfur and fire to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s wife glances back and turns into a pillar of salt. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026 This dust accumulates in the corners, lurks under the sofa, and rains down on your lampshades. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 July 2026 Rain like it almost never rains in the desert around Las Vegas. — Eric Boodman, STAT, 23 Mar. 2026 Time seems to collapse in on itself when bombs keep dropping overhead, and the act of trying to visit a next-door neighbor becomes a matter of life or death as sniper fire rains down. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 21 Feb. 2026 That and the fact it never rains. — Lauren Bans, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026 From his pulpit, Wicks rains down selectively vituperative fire and brimstone, with an eye toward provoking walkouts from unsuspecting visitors—say, a gay couple or a single mom. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rains

Noun

That means that our understanding of their makeup, their storms, and their evolution really only comes from theory.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Authorities in Colima said the risks remained low but warned that heavy rainfall could cause damage because successive storms had already saturated the ground along the Pacific coast.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of storms

Noun

Ukraine now faces the prospect of punishing winter barrages on its electricity and other energy installations by an emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin.

— Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026
Bass’ barrages got to Raman more than a few times, leading her to talk over the NBC and Telemundo moderators or even shush them.

— Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of barrages

Verb

Marc Andreessen, whose venture firm Andreessen Horowitz pours billions into defense tech firms, including Anduril, was named to the Pentagon's defense policy board this summer, alongside Thiel Capital's Blake Masters.

— Samantha Subin, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
There will be live music, food vendors, custom hats/shirts, and collaborator/brewer welcome pours.

— Jonathan Shikes, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of pours

Verb

As winners take the stage, the audience showers them with paper airplanes.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026
Spotty showers across the Kansas City region Sunday morning give way to sunny skies and building heat, the forecast shows.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of showers

Noun

There have been heavy rainfalls since, but because its location is so near to the equator, where ferocious winds can’t properly spin, the lush land has been spared from the worst.

— DeMarco Williams, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
That increase has already led to more sunny day flooding, intensified rainfalls and hurricanes, reflected in higher and higher insurance premiums.

— Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

Definition of rainfalls

Noun

In Sakarya province, around 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Istanbul, a two-story house that was built on a riverbed collapsed in the floods, HaberTurk television reported.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
With homes nearly toppling into the ocean and back-to-back floods and hurricanes amplifying our sense of dread, keeping track of all things El Niño can be overwhelming.

— Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of floods

Verb

Within the cells, electricity plates out pure elemental metals and selectively precipitates battery compounds like lithium carbonate.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Again, an ammonium fluoride solution is one of the starting materials; the silicon dioxide simply precipitates out of this solution.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026

Definition of precipitates

Verb

Bogost lavishes praise on hobbies (fly-fishing), crafts (knitting), and trades (woodworking) as ways to dwell in sensory experience.

— Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 17 June 2026
In one particularly confessional episode, the Belgian star lavishes his wife with praise while waxing lyrical about his past mistakes.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026