cats and dogs

noun

A heavy rain; a large amount of rain.

“rain cats and dogs, come down cats and dogs, pour cats and dogs, storm cats and dogs”

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Meanings

nouncats and dogs pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlyA heavy rain; a large amount of rain.

    With a good blinding snowfall, or a pelting downpour of cats and dogs, I might have hoped for a respite. What a Christmas offering for my mother! I say!

    1901, Ellen Wood (Mrs. Henry Wood), Johnny Ludlow: sixth series, page 361
    1 more example

    Many times, he would arrive soaking wet as the Florida skies had opened up in a sudden downpour of cats and dogs. Helen would wring out his shirt and put it out to dry, as clothes dryers were on the drawing board somewhere in the future.

    2010, Helen Howington, All in a Lifetime, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 32
  2. pluralplural onlyPeople or things that constantly fight (see fight like cats and dogs).
  3. pluralplural onlybusinessStocks that can be purchased cheaply but are unlikely to produce much profit.
adverbcats and dogs (not comparable)
  1. not comparableabout raining; other precipitation; or leaking; about raining; other precipitation; or leakingHeavily; copiously; a lot.

    rain cats and dogs, come down cats and dogs, pour cats and dogs, storm cats and dogs

    4 more examples

    We're lost, no gas, Dmitri is drunk, it's totally dark, and the rain is falling cats and dogs. There's nothing to cover ourselves with and we're getting colder and wetter by the minute. We had a couple of flares on the boat but […]

    2003, Joseph Sutton, The Immortal Mouth and Other Stories, Joseph Sutton, →ISBN

    Well, it was hailing cats and dogs as far as Rafe was concerned. Before he'd left for the bank, two of his best steers had escaped. Finally he'd received a call from the sheriff's department that his most prized animal was standing in the middle of a [highway].

    2010, Rita Herron, Have Cowboy, Need Cupid, Harlequin, →ISBN

    Although it was a beautiful day, it had rained the previous night and the church roof was leaking cats and dogs. Roofers stomped around up on the roof and down below huge buckets lined the hallways to catch the dripping water. I didn't care […]

    2011, John Salmon, PHD, Family By God's Design: A Celebrating Community of Honor and Grace, WestBow Press, →ISBN, page 147

    “It's sleeting cats and dogs.” Jellyneck's sneakers squished as he headed for the cloakroom, ignoring the question. “Oscar.” Miss Granberry looked up from her desk. “Drape your jacket across the radiator to dry.”

    2015, Mary Ann Rodman, Jimmy's Stars, Usborne Publishing Ltd, →ISBN

Origin

(heavy rain): Probably derived from rain cats and dogs.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

cats and dogs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cats%20and%20dogs

MLA

“cats and dogs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cats%20and%20dogs. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cats and dogs,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cats%20and%20dogs.

Source: cats and dogs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.