English idiom · neutral · spoken & written · BrE & AmE
rain cats and dogs: meaning and examples
rain cats and dogs means rain extremely heavily.
Aprende la expresión como una unidad fija y observa la preposición y la forma verbal en los ejemplos.
این عبارت را بهصورت یک واحد ثابت یاد بگیرید و به حرف اضافه و شکل فعل در مثالها توجه کنید.
Lerne die Wendung als feste Einheit und achte in den Beispielen auf Präposition und Verbform.
Apprenez l’expression comme une unité fixe et observez la préposition et la forme verbale dans les exemples.
Memory hook: Build a clear mental picture from “rain cats and dogs” and connect it to this meaning: rain extremely heavily.
How to use “rain cats and dogs”
- It was raining cats and dogs when we left.
- Wait inside until it stops raining cats and dogs.
Common mistake: Treat “rain cats and dogs” as a fixed expression. Notice its exact word order in the examples.
Learn it in context
This expression belongs to Lesson 16, where you can compare it with other idioms about weather and practise it interactively.
Open the full lesson →