rainwater

noun

rain·​wa·​ter ˈrān-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

: water fallen as rain that has not collected soluble matter from the soil and is therefore soft

Examples of rainwater in a Sentence

a bucket filled with rainwater

Recent Examples on the Web

Cooking oil is recycled, water-harvesting technology is used to capture rainwater, and outdoor lighting is run on solar power. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Remove standing water from buckets, garbage cans, pool covers, coolers, toys, flowerpots, or any containers where rainwater or sprinkler water collects. — Joan Murray, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026

That was again thinking about how that work could mitigate this city problem of sewage runoff in rainwater. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Find a high patch of ground, because rainwater pools in the low spots. — David Alm, Longreads, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rainwater

• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• groundwater
• headwater

Kids Definition

rainwater

noun

rain·​wa·​ter -ˌwȯt-ər 

-ˌwät-

: water falling or fallen as rain

Biographical Definition

Rainwater

biographical name

Rain·​wa·​ter ˈrān-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

L(eo) James 1917–1986 American physicist