monsoon

Everyday

1. A wind in South Asia and nearby places that changes direction with the seasons. tree →
2. The season of very heavy rain that this wind brings. tree →
3. (informal) Very heavy rain anywhere. tree →

In the lessons

In geography and science: India, Bangladesh and northern Australia have monsoon seasons; the rain helps farms but can cause floods. Phrases: the monsoon season, monsoon rains.

Examples

• The monsoon brings heavy rain to India every summer. tree →
• Farmers wait for the monsoon to water their rice. tree →
• During the monsoon, some roads flood. tree →
• Northern Australia has a wet season with monsoon rains. tree →
• It was like a monsoon outside — we got soaked! (informal) tree →
• The monsoon winds change direction with the seasons. tree →
• So I stayed with him till the time of the monsoon, and every day we added to our store of ivory till all his ware-houses were overflowing with it. tree →

Note

Countable. The word means the wind and its season, not just one storm. Safety: monsoon floods are dangerous; never walk or drive through flood water.