precipitation

precipitation — noun

1. rain, snow, or other water that comes down from the sky, or the total amount tha

1.nounC1
Definition

rain, snow, or other water that comes down from the sky, or the total amount that falls in a place.

Example

The forecast warned of heavy precipitation in the mountains tonight.

collocation: heavy precipitation

Overnight precipitation left a thin layer of snow on the highway.

Common collocations
  • heavy precipitation
  • annual precipitation
  • winter precipitation
  • frozen precipitation
Synonyms
  • rain

    narrower; only liquid water, not snow or hail

  • rainfall

    often stresses the amount of rain in a place or period

  • moisture

    broader; can mean water in air, soil, or on surfaces

Antonyms
  • drought

    a long period with little or no precipitation

Grammar Patterns

heavy / light precipitation

annual precipitation

precipitation + falls

Usage Note

Common in weather reports, geography, and science classes. Unlike rain, this sense also covers snow, sleet, and hail, and it can refer to the amount measured over time.

Common Mistakes

The town had a lot of rain precipitation last week.
The town had a lot of precipitation last week.
'precipitation' already includes the idea of rain or snow falling.

2. the habit or act of moving too fast and making a decision before enough thought

2.nounC2
Definition

the habit or act of moving too fast and making a decision before enough thought or planning.

Example

Owen acted with precipitation and signed the contract without reading page two.

pattern: act with precipitation

The council blamed the mayor's precipitation in approving the bridge design.

Common collocations
  • act with precipitation
  • blame somebody's precipitation
  • dangerous precipitation
  • precipitation in judgment
Synonyms
  • haste

    more general; can be neutral or negative depending on context

  • rashness

    stronger; clearly suggests poor judgment

  • impulsiveness

    stresses acting from sudden feeling rather than careful thought

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

act with precipitation

somebody's precipitation

precipitation in decision-making

Usage Note

Usually found in formal writing rather than everyday speech. It often appears after with or in possessive forms, and it names rash speed in judgment, not simple physical quickness.

Common Mistakes

The bus arrived with precipitation.
The bus arrived quickly.
this sense is about rash decision-making, not ordinary speed.

3. a process where dissolved material turns solid and comes out of a liquid during

3.nounC2
Definition

a process where dissolved material turns solid and comes out of a liquid during a reaction.

Example

Adding salt caused precipitation at the bottom of the glass jar.

pattern: cause precipitation

The students watched precipitation begin when the two clear liquids mixed.

pattern: watch precipitation begin

Common collocations
  • cause precipitation
  • precipitation reaction
  • metal precipitation
  • by precipitation
Synonyms
  • separation

    broader; not limited to solids forming in a liquid

  • deposition

    technical; can include material settling onto a surface

  • crystallization

    narrower; focuses on crystal formation rather than any solid

Antonyms
  • dissolution

    a solid mixes into a liquid instead of coming out of it

Grammar Patterns

cause precipitation

precipitation of + substance

remove + substance + by precipitation

Usage Note

Common in chemistry classes, lab reports, and technical explanations. It often appears with cause, form, prevent, or of plus the name of the substance.

Common Mistakes

The reaction made a precipitation.
The reaction caused precipitation.
this sense usually names the process, so it is normally uncountable.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Precipitation' is the broad weather word for water that comes down from the sky, including rain, snow, sleet, and hail. 'Rain' is the everyday word for liquid water only, so it cannot describe snow. 'Rainfall' often focuses on measurement, especially how much rain an area gets in a month or year. 'Snow' names one particular kind of precipitation. 'Moisture' is broader still, because it can mean water in the air, soil, food, or on a surface, not only water from clouds. A forecast may warn of heavy precipitation in the hills, while a farmer may worry about low rainfall and dry soil moisture.

precipitation ↗rain ↗rainfall ↗snow ↗moisture ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Precipitation comes from the same Latin source as precipitate and originally carried the idea of rushing or throwing something downward. In English, that older sense developed into the weather meaning, where water falls from the sky, and the chemistry meaning, where solid matter comes out of a liquid.