“Raining Cats and Dogs” Meaning, Origin and Examples

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There may have been times where you have heard someone use the phrase “raining cats and dogs” in a conversation but what does this saying mean? We are going to look at the meaning of this term as well as looking at where it originally came from. We will also look at some examples of the phrase being used in day to day conversation.

Raining Cats and Dogs Meaning, Origin and Usage

Key Takeaways

  • “Raining cats and dogs” means it is raining very heavily or pouring down intensely. It’s an idiom used to describe a strong, heavy downpour of rain.
Raining Cats and Dogs Meaning
Raining Cats and Dogs Meaning – Created by 7ESL

Raining Cats and Dogs Meaning

The phrase “raining cats and dogs” is an idiom that means it’s raining very heavily or intensely. It’s used to describe a particularly strong or torrential downpour of rain.

  • “We had to cancel the picnic because it was raining cats and dogs.”
  • “I forgot my umbrella, and now I’m soaked—it’s raining cats and dogs out there!”
  • “It’s been raining cats and dogs all afternoon, flooding the streets.”

Origin of this Idiomatic Expression

The Greek term Cata Doxa, which refers to something unbelievable may be responsible for the English idiom raining cats and dogs since the phrase sounds like cats and dogs and refers to an unbelievable amount of rain.

Usage of “Raining Cats and Dogs”

Here are some examples of how to use “raining cats and dogs”:

  1. In casual conversation: “We were going to go for a walk, but it started raining cats and dogs!”
  2. Describing a situation: “I got completely drenched because it was raining cats and dogs when I left the office.”
  3. Talking about the weather: “We had to stay indoors all day since it was raining cats and dogs.”
  4. In a travel scenario: “It’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow, but today it’s raining cats and dogs.”

Related Terms to “Raining Cats and Dogs”

  • Pouring – A simpler term meaning heavy rainfall.
  • Downpour – Refers to a sudden, heavy rainfall.
  • Torrential rain – Describes extremely heavy rain.
  • Bucketing down – A more informal phrase meaning it’s raining heavily.
  • Coming down in sheets – Describes rain falling very heavily and continuously.
  • Drenching rain – Rain so heavy that it soaks everything quickly.
  • Rainstorm – Refers to a storm characterized by heavy rain.
  • Pelting rain – Suggests that the rain is falling very hard, as though it’s being thrown down.
  • Heavy showers – A common term for intense rainfall that may be short-lived but very strong.
  • Teeming rain – A phrase used to describe rain that is falling heavily and in large amounts.

Other Ways to Say the Idiom

There are multiple other ways in which you can express the meaning of the term raining cats and dogs.

Here are some examples of other things you might say which carry the same meaning.

  • Raining bucket loads
  • Raining pitchforks and hammer handles
  • Deluges of rain
  • Heavy downpour
  • Raining extremely heavily

“Raining Cats and Dogs” Examples

Examples in Statements

We are now going to look at some examples of sentences in which the term raining cats and dogs might be found.

The first is a statement from a weather report.

  • The storm continues to rage on, just take a look outside, it is still raining cats and dogs.

The second statement is being made in a blog post.

  • The trip to India was nothing short of amazing but the weather could have been better, it rained cats and dogs for most of the time that I was there.

Conversation Examples

There are many times in which the term raining cats and dogs might be seen in a conversation. Let’s take a look at some examples of this.

The first conversation is happening between two friends.

  • Person 1: “Did you have a good trip to the beach?”
  • Person 2: “Not really, it was raining cats and dogs all day so we had to come home early.”

The second conversation is taking place between a husband and wife.

  • Person 1: “Shall we go out for dinner tonight?”
  • Person 2: “Yes but only if the weather gets better. Look outside.”
  • Person 1: “Oh yes, it’s raining cats and dogs out there.”
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