# rain off

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/rain-off
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to cancel or stop an outdoor event because it is raining too hard.

For teachers: to cause an outdoor event to be cancelled or postponed due to rainfall. Usually used in the passive voice.

## Examples

- The football match was rained off yesterday.
- We were looking forward to the garden party, but unfortunately it was rained off at the last minute.
- Despite the organizers' best efforts to cover the pitch, the final match of the tournament was inevitably rained off as the storm intensified.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The rain rained off the match." but "The match was rained off." — This phrase is almost exclusively used in the passive voice with the event as the subject.

## Usage notes

- This phrase is almost always used in the passive voice.
- Teaching tip: Contrast this British English term with the American equivalent 'rain out'.

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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.