monsoon
Americannoun
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monsoons
plural
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the seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter.
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(in India and nearby lands) the season during which the southwest monsoon blows, commonly marked by heavy rains; rainy season.
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any wind that changes directions with the seasons.
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any persistent wind established between water and adjoining land.
noun
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a seasonal wind of S Asia that blows from the southwest in summer, bringing heavy rains, and from the northeast in winter
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the rainy season when the SW monsoon blows, from about April to October
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any wind that changes direction with the seasons
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A system of winds that influences the climate of a large area and that reverses direction with the seasons. Monsoons are caused primarily by the much greater annual variation in temperature over large areas of land than over large areas of adjacent ocean water. This variation causes an excess of atmospheric pressure over the continents in the winter, and a deficit in the summer. The disparity causes strong winds to blow between the ocean and the land, bringing heavy seasonal rainfall.
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In southern Asia, a wind that is part of such a system and that blows from the southwest in the summer and usually brings heavy rains.
Discover More
The Asiatic monsoon brings heavy rains to Southeast Asia in spring and summer.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of monsoon
First recorded in 1575–85; from obsolete Dutch monssoen, from Portuguese monção, earlier moução, from Arabic mawsim “season,” noun derivative of wasama “to mark”; cf. mazuma ( def. ), Sivan ( def. )
Explanation
Monsoon is the term for the wind that carries heavy rains to southern Asia, and the rains themselves. During a monsoon, people wait indoors for it to stop. Although people in other parts of the world sometimes describe heavy rainfall as a monsoon, the real thing only occurs in Asia. Monsoon describes both the rain that drenches India and Southeast Asia in summer and winter, and the wind that carries that rain. The rains are so heavy that they can lead to floods that wash away entire towns.
Vocabulary lists containing monsoon
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Extreme rainfall is intensifying: the region is warming faster than the global average, a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, and the monsoon is delivering more rain in fewer, heavier bursts, say experts.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Under a makeshift roof offering protection from the monsoon rains, the pair are slowly uncovering the giant neck of a fossil they hope to confirm soon as Thailand's newest dinosaur.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
People packed into overcrowded shelters, contaminated water and damaged health facilities were putting the population at greater risk of disease in the middle of the monsoon season, the UN agency said.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
India’s monsoon rain is running 13% behind the average level for this time of year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
He recognized the signs of the Zamani Region’s monsoon season fast approaching.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
This includes drought across parts of the Amazon, Indonesia and Australia, disrupted monsoons in India, and shifting rainfall throughout the tropics.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Google’s broader weather tracking efforts encompass everything from wildfires to monsoons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Ocean-derived moisture can travel across continents within large weather systems including atmospheric rivers, monsoons and tropical storms.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 12, 2025
His province is where most deaths have been recorded during this year's monsoons.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025
Cambodia’s tropical climate is dictated by the monsoons, which bring heavy rain from May to October.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
