monsoon

noun

mon·​soon män-ˈsün 

ˈmän-ˌsün

1

: a periodic wind especially in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia

2

: the season of the southwest monsoon in India and adjacent areas that is characterized by very heavy rainfall

3

: rainfall that is associated with the monsoon

monsoonal

män-ˈsü-nᵊl 

ˈmän-ˌsü-

adjective

Examples of monsoon in a Sentence

floods caused by summer monsoons

Recent Examples on the Web

The authorities quoted meteorological analyst Lin Nan in a WeChat post saying that such intense rainfall in South China’s coastal regions typically occurs only after the arrival of the summer monsoon in mid to late May. —ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026

After that is the monsoon season from May to October, which is humid and rainy, followed by the winter season from November to February, when temperatures are still hot, but a little lower. —Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026

That’s not expected to happen as the region is heading into its drier late-spring and summer months, though rainfall from the Southwest monsoon could help the region from July through September. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026

There’s also a chance that monsoon moisture could bring thunderstorms later in the summer. —Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

obsolete Dutch monssoen, from Portuguese monção, from Arabic mawsim time, season

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for monsoon

• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon
• cartoon
• cocoon
• festoon
• gaboon
• harpoon
• immune
• impugn

Kids Definition

monsoon

noun

mon·​soon män-ˈsün 

1

: a periodic wind in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia

2

: the rainy season that accompanies the southwest monsoon

3

: rainfall that is associated with the monsoon season