English Reference
Idiom idiom

rain death


To cause severe harm or violence.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

The soldiers rained death upon the enemy camp.

CONTEXTUAL

The fighter jets rained death on the base, leaving nothing but ruins behind.

COMPLEX

As the storm of arrows rained death from the sky, the defenders realized their position was no longer tenable.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    article of death

    The moment of death.

  2. 02

    catch one's death

    To contract a serious illness, especially a nasty cold or other respiratory ailment and especially as a result of exposure to wet or chilly weather.

  3. 03

    death and taxes

    Something which is totally certain.

  4. 04

    death by a thousand paper cuts

    An ultimate negative outcome, such as the failure of a project, brought about by an excessive number of bureaucratic hurdles.

  5. 05

    death by PowerPoint

    The boredom or disengagement that an audience experiences from poorly designed or overly verbose presentations using any type of presentation software.

  6. 06

    die a thousand deaths

    To suffer repeatedly (often mentally rather than physically); to suffer extreme embarrassment or anxiety.

  7. 07

    kiss of death

    Something that may seem good and favorable but that actually brings ruin to hopes, plans, etc.

  8. 08

    living death

    A condition of suffering, solitude, or impairment so extreme as to deprive one's existence of all happiness and meaning.

Last updated August 10, 2026