# when it rains it pours

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/when-it-rains-it-pours
Updated: 2026-06-07

## Meaning

Everything is going wrong at once

## Examples

- First I lost my keys, then my car broke down; when it rains it pours.
- After months of quiet, three major appliances broke in the same week, proving that when it rains it pours.
- The company faced a sudden lawsuit just as their main factory closed, illustrating the old saying that when it rains it pours during a crisis.

## Origin

From the older proverb 'It never rains but it pours' (used as a title by John Arbuthnot, 1726); the modern form was popularised by Morton Salt's 1914 advertising slogan.

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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.