rainforest

noun

rain·​for·​est ˈrān-ˌfȯr-əst How to pronounce rainforest (audio)
-ˌfär-
variants or less commonly rain forest
plural rainforests also rain forests
1
: a tropical woodland with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches (254 centimeters) and marked by lofty broad-leaved evergreen trees forming a continuous canopy

called also tropical rainforest

2

Examples of rainforest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Her travel writing has taken her to rainforests, remote tropical islands, and the red carpets of Cannes. Felicity Carter, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025 With rainforests being sensitive ecosystems, Pulitano says The 5th Element will be strictly leave no trace and also provide opportunities to participate in beach cleanups. Katie Bain, Billboard, 20 May 2025 The girl is in the Brazilian capital, but the headset transports her to a fictitious Indigenous village in the Atlantic rainforest, where capybaras and jaguars dart across the landscape. Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2025 Pará state, for example, is building an 8-mile (13 kilometer) road to ease traffic that cuts through rainforest. Mary Nichols, The Conversation, 19 May 2025 The Amazon rain forest is dangerously close to a tipping point that could rapidly reshape not just the world’s most famous rainforest biome but the whole planet. Justin Worland, Time, 9 May 2025 Atop a large green canvas painted by Imazu and based on a 1905 lithograph of the rainforest floor, a mechanical arm produced a sequence of line drawings depicting the contours of animals and plants. Naima Morelli, Artforum, 1 May 2025 Wild chimpanzees often drum their limbs against the large roots of giant trees, sending out loud, booming sounds that resonate through the rainforest. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2025 The victory came hot on the heels of the Berlinale Grand Jury Prize win for Brazilian filmmaker and visual artist Gabriel Mascaro’s The Blue Trail, a dystopian drama about a 77-year-old retiree’s life-changing journey through the Amazon rainforest. Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 13 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rainforest was in 1900

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Cite this Entry

“Rainforest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rainforest. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

rain forest

noun
1
: an often tropical woodland with a high annual rainfall and very tall evergreen trees with tops forming a continuous layer

called also tropical rain forest

2

More from Merriam-Webster on rainforest

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