Meaning

"Rain or shine" means "no matter what the weather is like", and by extension "whatever happens". It's a short promise of reliability. The picture is plain: whether it rains or the sun shines, the thing still happens.

You'll see it on event signs ("Farmers market, every Saturday, rain or shine") and hear it about people who never skip something: a mail carrier, a runner, a grandmother who walks to the market every day. It's friendly, a bit old-fashioned in feel but still very common, and fine anywhere.

It usually closes the sentence, after a comma in writing: "We play every Sunday, rain or shine." You can use it about non-weather things too, as a way to say you'll be there regardless: "I'll be at your graduation, rain or shine."

In a conversation

FatimaLucas
  1. Fatima
  2. Lucas
  3. Fatima
  4. Lucas
  5. Fatima

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Check yourself

1A sign says, "Outdoor movie, Friday at eight, rain or shine." What does it mean?
2"She's run every morning for ten years, rain or shine." What does this say about her?

Practice · 3 min

Listen, then repeat. Say it as a little tag after the main sentence, with a small pause before it.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.