# rain buckets

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/rain-buckets
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To rain heavily

## Examples

- It is raining buckets outside right now.
- We had to cancel the outdoor picnic because it started raining buckets in the afternoon.
- Although the weather forecast promised clear skies, it began raining buckets just as the wedding ceremony commenced in the garden.

## Origin

From the figurative sense of water pouring from buckets, as if the contents of several vessels were being emptied simultaneously.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.