# shower down

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shower-down
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to fall or be thrown down in large amounts, like rain or many small objects. You use this when things come down quickly and cover an area.

For teachers: To fall or descend copiously in the manner of a shower. It may function intransitively to describe falling matter or transitively to describe the act of raining objects down upon a target.

## Examples

- Golden leaves shower down from the trees every autumn.
- During the wedding ceremony, colorful confetti showered down on the happy couple as they walked outside.
- As the old factory roof finally gave way, a thick layer of dust and rusted metal showered down upon the abandoned machinery below.

## Pitfalls

- Not "A shower down of sparks hit the floor." but "Sparks showered down on the floor." — Learners sometimes confuse the phrasal verb with the noun 'a shower of'; 'shower down' is the action itself and does not take 'of'.

## Usage notes

- This phrase is often used with the preposition 'on' or 'upon' to show what the objects are falling onto.
- Teaching tip: Compare with 'pour down', which is almost exclusively used for heavy rain, whereas 'shower down' can describe any small objects falling in quantity.

---

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.