rain
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++rain1 /reɪn/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 [uncountable]DN water that falls in small drops from clouds in the sky 雨 a night of wind and rain 风雨交加的夜晚 There will be heavy rain in most parts of the country. 全国大部分地区将有大雨。in the rain I left my bicycle out in the rain. 我把自行车放在外边雨地里了。 → acid rain, rain drop, rainy2 the rains DNHEMheavy rain that falls during a particular period in the year in tropical countries 〔热带国家的〕雨季 → monsoon Last year, the rains came on time in April. 去年，雨季在4月准时到来。3 rain of something LOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNTa large number of things falling or moving through the air together 雨点般降落的某物 The archers sent a rain of arrows towards the enemy. 弓箭手的箭如雨点般飞向敌人。4 (come) rain or shine spokenWEATHER whatever happens or whatever the weather is like 在任何情况下；不论天气好坏 Don’t worry. We’ll be there – rain or shine. 别担心，我们会去的——风雨无阻。 —rainless adjective → right as rain at right1(9) COLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + rainheavy (=with a lot of water coming down) 〔雨量〕大的The rain became more heavy. 雨下得更大了。light (=with little water coming down) 〔雨量〕小的A light rain began to fall. 开始下起了小雨。torrential (=very heavy) 倾盆而下的I woke to the sound of torrential rain. 我在滂沱大雨声中醒来。pouring rain (=very heavy rain) 倾盆大雨He left us standing in the pouring rain. 他让我们站在倾盆大雨里不管了。driving rain (=heavy rain that is falling fast or being blown along) 狂风暴雨They struggled to walk against driving rain. 他们顶着狂风暴雨艰难前行。freezing rain (=extremely cold rain) 冻雨n the icy wind and freezing rainfine rain (=very gentle rain) 细雨nA fine rain was coming down as the game started. acid rain (=rain which contains pollution from factories) 酸雨nforests which have been damaged by acid rainverbsthe rain falls 下雨The rain was still falling steadily. 雨依然下个不停。the rain comes down (=it falls) 下雨If the rain starts coming down, we can always go inside. 要是下雨了，我们总还可以进屋去。The monsoon rain comes down in sheets. 季风雨瓢泼而下。the rain stops 雨停They went into a cafe and waited for the rain to stop. 他们走进一家咖啡馆等雨停。the rain eases off (=it starts to rain less) 雨渐渐小了nThe rain should ease off in a minute.the rain pours down (=a lot of rain comes down) 雨倾盆而下nThe rain was pouring down and I was quickly soaked.nthe rain pelts down (=it comes down fast)The rain was now pelting down.the rain beats/lashes (=it falls or hits something with a lot of force) 雨猛烈地击打nIsabel listened to the rain beating down.the rain patters on something (=drops of rain hit something and make a sound) 雨敲打在某物上nRain pattered on the roof.get caught in the rain (=be outside when it starts raining) 淋到雨Did you get caught in the rain? 淋到雨phrasesit is pouring with rain British English, it is pouring rain American English (=a lot of rain is falling) 大雨倾盆When we went outside it was pouring with rain. 我们出门时大雨倾盆。it looks like rain (=rain appears likely because there are dark clouds in the sky) 天看上去要下雨We ate indoors because it looked like rain. 我们在室内吃饭，因为天看上去要下雨了。a drop of rain 雨滴Robert felt a drop of rain on his face. 罗伯特觉得有一滴雨落在脸上。an inch/25mm etc of rain 一英寸/25毫米等雨量Two inches of rain fell in twelve hours. 12小时雨量为两英寸。outbreaks of rain (=short periods of rain – used in weather forecasts) 阵雨〔用于气象预报〕Outbreaks of rain will spread across northern parts. 阵雨将覆盖北部地区。a rain shower (also a shower of rain British English) (=a short period of rain) 阵雨na heavy shower of rain accompanied by lightning sheets of rain (=large moving masses of heavy rain) 瓢泼大雨nHe drove home slowly, through sheets of rain.a rain cloud 雨云nThick black rain clouds massed in the sky. THESAURUSrain noun [uncountable] water that falls in small drops from clouds in the sky 雨The rain has stopped at last. 雨终于停了。There had been heavy rain during the night. 晚上下了倾盆大雨。drizzle noun [uncountable] light rain with very small drops of water 细雨A light drizzle was falling as I left the house. 我走出屋子时正下着毛毛细雨。shower noun [countable] a short period of rain that can be heavy or light 阵雨More heavy showers are forecast for tonight. 预报今晚还会有阵雨。a light shower of rain 一阵小雨downpour noun [countable usually singular] a short period of very heavy rain that starts suddenly 骤雨A sudden downpour sent us running for shelter. 突然下起倾盆大雨，我们只得跑着去躲雨。a torrential downpour 倾盆大雨hail noun [uncountable] frozen rain that falls in the form of hailstones (=small balls of ice) 冰雹The hail and high winds have destroyed many of the county’s crops. 冰雹和狂风毁坏了该县大量庄稼。sleet noun [uncountable] a mixture of snow and rain 雨夹雪The rain had turned to sleet. 雨变成了雨夹雪。Sleet and snow fell. 下起了雨夹雪和雪。the rains noun [plural] heavy rain that falls during a particular period in the year in tropical countries 〔热带国家的〕雨季The farmers are waiting for the rains to come. 农民在等待雨季来临。monsoon noun [countable] the heavy rain that falls between April and October in India and other southern Asian countries 〔印度等南亚国家的〕季风雨The monsoon is late this year. 今年季风雨来晚了。the monsoon season 雨季
Examples from the Corpus
rain• When acid rain falls, it affects the pH balance of the soil.• However, the weather may not be so good, and rain and gales are frequent.• The new wind brought rain, and not just showers, but a constant soaking deluge flying sometimes straight at us.• The roads are flooded after a period of exceptionally heavy rain.• The moist snowfall had changed into rain.• Some light rain is likely in the Boston area.• There's an 80% chance of rain.• Four inches of rain have fallen in four days.• Between the gusts, the sound of rain on the roof and water pouring off it was continuous.• The undisguised face gleamed in the rain.• I like walking in the rain• It was peaceful, under the rain.• The rain was beating against the window.• The coast has been battered by torrential rain all week.in the rain• The hideous blood smear on the window was a running crimson blur in the rain.• For the next several days it poured, but I continued to cut my firewood and build an outhouse in the rain.• Balvinder Singh dropped me outside during a brief pause in the rain.• Struggling, he pinched a finger, which bled pink in the rain.• And on Saturday, in the rain at Newmarket, Jeremy Glover savoured it to the full.• Do you remember waiting on the station in the rain?• Said she liked to walk in the rain and eat peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches.rain2 ●●● S3 verb 1 it rains if it rains, drops of water fall from clouds in the sky 下雨 Outside it was still raining. 外面仍在下雨。 It’s starting to rain. 开始下雨了。rain heavily/hard It must have rained quite hard last night. 昨晚一定下了很大的雨。it’s raining cats and dogs spoken (=it is raining very hard) 下倾盆大雨2 rain (down) blows/blows rain down if you rain blows onto someone, you hit them many times 雨点般击打 She attacked the man, raining blows on his head and shoulders. 她对那个男人大打出手，拳头雨点般落在他头上和肩上。3. it never rains but it pours spokenLOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNT used to say that as soon as one thing goes wrong, a lot of other things go wrong as well 祸不单行4 rain down phrasal verb DOWNto fall in large quantities 雨点般落下 on Bombs rained down on the city. 炸弹如雨点般落向这座城市。5 be rained off British English, be rained out American English phrasal verb DNif an event or activity is rained off or rained out, it has to stop because there is too much rain 〔赛事或活动〕因雨停止 The match was rained off. 比赛因为下雨而中断。 COLLOCATIONSnadverbsit rains heavily/hard (=a lot of water comes down)It was raining heavily when we arrived in New York.it rains non-stop/solidly/steadily (=without stopping)It rained solidly every single day.it rains slightly/lightly (=a little water comes down)It’s raining slightly, but we can still go out.nverbsit starts raining/it starts to rainIt had started to rain again.it stops rainingHas it stopped raining?phrasesit is raining cats and dogs informal (=it is raining very hard – this phrase sounds rather old-fashioned) 下倾盆大雨 THESAURUSit’s raining drops of water are falling from the sky 在下雨It’s raining – you’d better take an umbrella. 在下雨呢——你最好带把伞。it’s pouring (down) British English, it’s pouring (rain) American English it is raining very heavily 大雨倾盆We stayed at home because it was pouring down all day. 我们待在家里，因为倾盆大雨下了一整天。it’s chucking it down British English informal it is raining very heavily 大雨如注Outside it was chucking it down and the streets were deserted. 室外大雨如注，街上空无一人。it’s drizzling very gentle rain is falling 在下毛毛雨It’s only drizzling – let’s go for a walk anyway. 只是在下毛毛雨，我们还是去散步吧。it’s hailing frozen rain in the form of small balls of ice are falling 在下冰雹It had been hailing and the roads were still slippery. 一直在下冰雹，道路还很滑。→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
rain• It was quiet outside, and raining.• Take an umbrella in case it rains.• By the time John parked in Sloane Crescent the sun had vanished behind lowering cloud, and it was starting to rain.• It had started to rain again.• It rained all night, and half the day after.• It had been raining all week and the cleared paths were slick where the rain had frozen on top of the snow.• At 7,000 metres a shower of rocks rained down on me.• It was raining hard.• About 1.30 am we got home to Debenham, it was raining it was cold and completely desolate.• It was as though the mourning cloud that had stopped above Rehoboth had rained meanness and waiting.• Earlier in the day it had been raining, now there was a high wind blowing.• Think it'll rain this weekend?Origin rain1 Old English regnrain1 noun →COLLOCATIONS1 →THESAURUS1rain2 verb →COLLOCATIONS1 →THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChinese
falls that clouds small Corpus water in in from drops
rain
rain1 S2 W2 /reɪn/ 
noun
a night of wind and rain
There will be heavy rain in most parts of the country.
in the rain
I left my bicycle out in the rain. ⇨ acid rain, rain drop, rainy
2. the rains heavy rain that falls during a particular period in the year in tropical countries ⇨ monsoon:
Last year, the rains came on time in April.
3. rain of something a large number of things falling or moving through the air together:
The archers sent a rain of arrows towards the enemy.
4. (come) rain or shine spoken whatever happens or whatever the weather is like:
Don’t worry. We’ll be there – rain or shine.
—rainless adjective
⇨ right as rain at right1(9)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + rain
▪heavy (=with a lot of water coming down) The rain became more heavy.
▪light (=with little water coming down) A light rain began to fall.
▪torrential (=very heavy) I woke to the sound of torrential rain.
▪pouring rain (=very heavy rain) He left us standing in the pouring rain.
▪driving rain (=heavy rain that is falling fast or being blown along) They struggled to walk against driving rain.
▪freezing rain (=extremely cold rain) the icy wind and freezing rain
▪fine rain (=very gentle rain) A fine rain was coming down as the game started.
▪acid rain (=which contains pollution from factories) forests which have been damaged by acid rain
■ verbs
▪the rain falls The rain was still falling steadily.
▪the rain comes down (=it falls) If the rain starts coming down, we can always go inside. | The monsoon rain comes down in sheets.
▪the rain stops They went into a cafe and waited for the rain to stop.
▪the rain eases off (=it starts to rain less) The rain should ease off in a minute.
▪the rain pours down (=a lot of rain comes down) The rain was pouring down and I was quickly soaked.
▪the rain pelts down (=it comes down fast) The rain was now pelting down.
▪the rain beats/lashes (=it falls or hits something with a lot of force) Isabel listened to the rain beating down.
▪the rain patters on something (=drops of rain hit something and make a sound) Rain pattered on the roof.
▪get caught in the rain (=be outside when it starts raining) Did you get caught in the rain?
■ phrases
▪it is pouring with rain British English, it is pouring rain American English (=a lot of rain is falling) When we went outside it was pouring with rain.
▪it looks like rain (=rain appears likely because there are dark clouds in the sky) We ate indoors because it looked like rain.
▪a drop of rain Robert felt a drop of rain on his face.
▪an inch/25mm etc of rain Two inches of rain fell in twelve hours.
▪outbreaks of rain (=short periods of rain – used in weather forecasts) Outbreaks of rain will spread across northern parts.
▪a rain shower (also a shower of rain British English) (=a short period of rain) a heavy shower of rain accompanied by lightning
▪sheets of rain (=large moving masses of heavy rain) He drove home slowly, through sheets of rain.
▪a rain cloud Thick black rain clouds massed in the sky.
▪ rain noun [uncountable] water that falls in small drops from clouds in the sky: The rain has stopped at last. | There had been heavy rain during the night.
▪drizzle noun [uncountable] light rain with very small drops of water: A light drizzle was falling as I left the house.
▪shower noun [countable] a short period of rain that can be heavy or light: More heavy showers are forecast for tonight. | a light shower of rain
▪downpour noun [countable usually singular] a short period of very heavy rain that starts suddenly: A sudden downpour sent us running for shelter. | a torrential downpour
▪hail noun [uncountable] frozen rain that falls in the form of hailstones (=small balls of ice): The hail and high winds have destroyed many of the county’s crops.
▪sleet noun [uncountable] a mixture of snow and rain: The rain had turned to sleet | Sleet and snow fell.
▪the rains noun [plural] heavy rain that falls during a particular period in the year in tropical countries: The farmers are waiting for the rains to come.
▪monsoon noun [countable ] the heavy rain that falls between April and October in India and other southern Asian countries: The monsoon is late this year. | the monsoon season
rain2 S3 verb
1. it rains if it rains, drops of water fall from clouds in the sky:
Outside it was still raining.
It’s starting to rain.
rain heavily/hard
It must have rained quite hard last night.
it’s raining cats and dogs spoken (=it is raining very hard)
2. rain (down) blows/blows rain down if you rain blows onto someone, you hit them many times:
She attacked the man, raining blows on his head and shoulders.
3. it never rains but it pours spoken used to say that as soon as one thing goes wrong, a lot of other things go wrong as well
■ adverbs
▪it rains heavily/hard (=a lot of water comes down) It was raining heavily when we arrived in New York.
▪it rains non-stop/solidly/steadily (=without stopping) It rained solidly every single day.
▪it rains slightly/lightly (=a little water comes down) It’s raining slightly, but we can still go out.
■ verbs
▪it starts raining/it starts to rain It had started to rain again.
▪it stops raining Has it stopped raining?
■ phrases
▪it is raining cats and dogs informal (=it is raining very hard – this phrase sounds rather old-fashioned)
▪ it’s raining drops of water are falling from the sky: It’s raining – you’d better take an umbrella.
▪it’s pouring (down) British English, it’s pouring (rain) American English it is raining very heavily: We stayed at home because it was pouring down all day.
▪it’s chucking it down British English informal it is raining very heavily: Outside it was chucking it down and the streets were deserted.
▪it’s drizzling very gentle rain is falling: It’s only drizzling – let’s go for a walk anyway.
▪it’s hailing frozen rain in the form of small balls of ice are falling: It had been hailing and the roads were still slippery.
rain down phrasal verb
to fall in large quantities
rain down on
Bombs rained down on the city.
be rained off British English, be rained out American English phrasal verb
if an event or activity is rained off or rained out, it has to stop because there is too much rain:
The match was rained off.
| I |
noun Language: Old English
Origin: regn
1. [uncountable] water that falls in small drops from clouds in the sky:Origin: regn
in the rain
2. the rains heavy rain that falls during a particular period in the year in tropical countries ⇨ monsoon:
3. rain of something a large number of things falling or moving through the air together:
4. (come) rain or shine spoken whatever happens or whatever the weather is like:
—rainless adjective
⇨ right as rain at right1(9)
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verb1. it rains if it rains, drops of water fall from clouds in the sky:
rain heavily/hard
it’s raining cats and dogs spoken (=it is raining very hard)
2. rain (down) blows/blows rain down if you rain blows onto someone, you hit them many times:
3. it never rains but it pours spoken used to say that as soon as one thing goes wrong, a lot of other things go wrong as well
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rain down phrasal verb
to fall in large quantities
rain down on
be rained off British English, be rained out American English phrasal verb
if an event or activity is rained off or rained out, it has to stop because there is too much rain:
Rain 雨
Drizzle is fine light rain.* drizzle 指毛毛细雨。 A shower is a short period of rain.* shower 指阵雨。 A downpour or acloudburst is a heavy fall of rain that often starts suddenly.* downpour 或 cloudburst 指倾盆大雨、大暴雨、骤雨。 When it is raining very hard you can say that it is pouring . In informalBrE bucketing down orchucking it down . You can also say:The heavens opened .大雨倾盆可用 it is pouring。非正式英式英语亦可用 it is bucketing down 或者 it is chucking it down。还可以说 The heavens opened。
Storms 暴风雨
A cyclone and atyphoon are types of violent tropical storms with very strong winds.* cyclone 指气旋，typhoon 指台风。 A hurricane has very strong winds and is usually at sea.* hurricane 通常指海上的飓风。 A monsoon is a period of very heavy rain in particular countries, or the wind that brings this rain.* monsoon 指某些国家的雨季、季节性暴雨或带来暴雨的季风。 A squall is a sudden strong, violent wind, usually in a rain or snow storm.* squall 通常指在暴风雨或暴风雪中突起的飑。 A tornado (or( twister ) has very strong winds which move in a circle, often with a long narrow cloud.* tornado（或非正式用语 twister）指龙卷风。 A whirlwind moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage.* whirlwind 指旋风。 A blizzard is a snow storm with very strong winds.* blizzard 指暴风雪。 Tempest is used mainly in literary language to describe a violent storm.* tempest 主要为文学用语，指暴风雨、风暴、暴风雪。
Good weather 好天气
be bathed in/bask in/be blessed with/enjoy bright/brilliant/glorious sunshine沐浴着／享受着明媚的／灿烂的阳光 the sun shines/warms sth/beats down (on sth) 太阳照耀着／温暖着／照射在… the sunshine breaks/streams through sth 阳光穿过… fluffy/wispy clouds drift across the sky 绒毛般的／一缕缕云彩在空中飘过 a gentle/light/stiff/cool/warm/sea breeze blows in/comes in off the sea 微风／轻风／强风／凉爽的风／暖风／海风从海上吹来 the snow crunches beneath/under sb's feet/boots 积雪在…脚下／靴子下嘎吱作响
Bad weather 坏天气
thick/dark/storm clouds form/gather/roll in/cover the sky/block out the sun 厚厚的云层／乌云／暴风云形成／聚集／大量聚集／遮住天空／挡住太阳 the sky darkens/turns black 天空变暗／变黑 a fine mist hangs in the air 一丝薄雾弥漫在空气中 a dense/heavy/thick fog rolls in 浓雾滚滚而来 the rain falls/comes down (in buckets/sheets)/pours down 下雨了；大雨倾盆而下；大雨滂沱 snow falls/comes down/covers sth 雪花飘落／覆盖着… the wind blows/whistles/howls/picks up/whips through sth/sweeps across sth 风刮／嗖嗖地刮／呼啸而过／愈刮愈大／刮过…／掠过… strong/gale-force winds blow/gust (up to 80 mph) 狂风大作（高达每小时 80 英里的速度） a storm is approaching/is moving inland/hits/strikes/rages 暴风雨即将降临／向内陆移动／来临／袭来／肆虐 thunder rolls/rumbles/sounds 雷声隆隆 (forked/sheet) lightning strikes/hits/flashes （叉状的／片状的）闪电袭来／闪过 a (blinding/snow) blizzard hits/strikes/blows/rages （令人目眩的）暴风雪袭来／大作／肆虐 a tornado touches down/hits/strikes/destroys sth/rips through sth 龙卷风袭击／摧毁…／撕裂… forecast/expect/predict rain/snow/a category-four hurricane预报有雨／雪／四级飓风 ( NAmE pour (down)/ ( BrE pour (down) with rain下瓢泼大雨 get caught in/seek shelter from/escape the rain遇上下雨；寻找避雨处；躲雨 be covered/shrouded in mist/a blanket of fog笼罩在雾霭之中／厚厚的一层雾中 be in for/brave/shelter from a/the storm即将遇到／勇敢面对／躲避暴风雨 hear rolling/distant thunder听到隆隆的／远处的雷声 be battered/buffeted by strong winds遭受强风肆虐；被强风吹得左右摇摆 ( BrE be blowing a gale在刮大风 battle against/brave the elements与恶劣天气搏斗；冒着风雨
The weather improves 天气好转
the sun breaks through the clouds 太阳破云而出 the sky clears/brightens (up)/lightens (up) 天放晴了 the clouds part/clear 乌云散去 the rain stops/lets up/holds off 雨停了／小了／延迟了 the wind dies down 风逐渐平息 the storm passes 暴风雨过去了 the mist/fog lifts/clears 薄雾／雾消散了
