precipitation
noun
pre·cip·i·ta·tion
pri-ˌsi-pə-ˈtā-shən 
1
: the quality or state of being precipitate : hastiness
2
: an act, process, or instance of precipitating
especially
: the process of forming a precipitate
3
: something precipitated: such as
a
: a deposit on the earth of hail, mist, rain, sleet, or snow
also
: the quantity of water deposited
Examples of precipitation in a Sentence
The weather forecast calls for some sort of frozen precipitation tomorrow—either snow or sleet.
a 50 percent chance of precipitation
Minerals are separated from the seawater by precipitation.
Recent Examples on the Web
New York City, Philadelphia and Boston will mostly see rain, but at the start of the precipitation even major cities could see some sleet, and freezing rain before temperature rises above freezing and changes all of the precipitation to rain.
—
Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2025
Despite the surface being below freezing, a layer of warmer air around 7,000-10,000 feet caused melting as precipitation fell.
—Matthew Delucia, CBS News, 27 Dec. 2025
Remove the fabric once the precipitation thaws.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
According to O'Malley, most of the rainfall concentrated in northeast Maricopa County, including areas in Fountain Hills and Apache Junction, areas that typically see more precipitation than the rest of the valley.
—Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precipitation
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Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2025
Despite the surface being below freezing, a layer of warmer air around 7,000-10,000 feet caused melting as precipitation fell.
—Matthew Delucia, CBS News, 27 Dec. 2025
Remove the fabric once the precipitation thaws.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
According to O'Malley, most of the rainfall concentrated in northeast Maricopa County, including areas in Fountain Hills and Apache Junction, areas that typically see more precipitation than the rest of the valley.
—Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precipitation
Cite this Entry
“Precipitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precipitation. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
precipitation
noun
pre·cip·i·ta·tion
pri-ˌsip-ə-ˈtā-shən
1
: unwise haste
2
: the process of precipitating or of forming a precipitate
3
: water or the amount of water that falls to the earth as hail, mist, rain, sleet, or snow
Medical Definition
precipitation
noun
pre·cip·i·ta·tion
pri-ˌsip-ə-ˈtā-shən
1
a
: the process of forming a precipitate from a solution
b
: the process of precipitating or removing solid or liquid particles from a smoke or gas by electrical means
2
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