raining like cats and dogs
Absolutely pouring outside
Raining like cats and dogs describes heavy, torrential rainfall: We got soaked—it was raining like cats and dogs.
The phrase is old and well-worn, sometimes avoided for that reason, but remains widely understood.
Often shortened to raining cats and dogs.
- torrential rainExtremely heavy precipitation
- thunderstormViolent weather with lightning
- monsoonSeasonal tropical wind pattern
- downpourIntense precipitation event
- bucket downRain extremely hard
pouring rain · cloudburst · tipping it down · come rain or shine · weather the storm · squall · under the weather · right as rain · hailstorm · fair-weather friend · deluge · April showers · chasing rainbows · crocodile tears · storm in a teacup · make hay while the sun shines · as busy as a bee · calm before the storm
raining like cats and dogsdrizzling
Light, gentle precipitation
sprinkling · misting · light rain · spitting · drizzle
raining like cats and dogsbone dry
Totally devoid of moisture
clear skies · sunny · dry as a bone · parched · cloudless