When It Rains It Pours – Meaning, Origin and Usage

Did a plumbing catastrophe just flood your bathroom, only for you to find out that you also got a parking ticket — and you think your girlfriend is about to dump you? That would be a classic "when it rains, it pours" situation. Keep reading to discover where this idiom comes from, and how to use it.

​​​Meaning

The phrase "when it rains, it pours" — which also exists as the variation "it never rains but it pours", more often used in the UK — usually means that bad things have a way of occurring close together.

"When it rains, it pours" can also simply be used to mean that excess tends to spiral, and it is occasionally used to talk about good things happening in close succession, too.

​​​Example Usage

If you're still not sure how you can use the phrase "when it rains, it pours" in a sentence, these examples serve to illustrate its meaning and usage:

  • "Guess what? Someone stole my wallet today! Then I was late for that work meeting and lost my chance to get promoted, and after all that, I found out my mom was just diagnosed with diabetes. You know what they say, when it rains, it pours!"
  • "I'm really trying to think positively this year, and I'm already seeing the effects. I have a great new apartment and met some really cool people. I'm hoping the trend will continue, because when it rains, it pours."
  • "Global events have done nothing but show us that when it rains, it pours, in recent years."

​​​Origin

The expression "when it rains, it pours" — as well as the variation "it never rains but it pours" — is primarily used in the United Kingdom, which is famous for its spells of rain. While it is not entirely clear when this informal saying was first used, it appeared in print in as early as the late eighteenth century.

The idiom invokes a vivid image. Nobody likes to be soaked in the rain, but heavy showers are certainly worse than light drizzles. When you use the saying "when it rains, it pours", you show that you were unprepared for the unfortunate things that have befallen you in quick succession.

The phrase is typically used to describe unpleasant or even catastrophic events, but may also be used to describe neutral events like a sudden busy spell at work, or even a succession of unexpected positive events.

Because rain is typically seen as a nuisance, however, "when it rains, it pours" typically has a negative connotation and it is much rarer to see the expression used with a positive meaning.

​Phrases Similar to When It Rains It Pours

If you don't want to use the phrase "when it rains, it pours", you could also say:

  • Misery loves company — an expression that shows that unfortunate events tend to attract other unpleasant events, or that sad people seek each other out.
  • Bad things come in threes — a saying that references the idea that multiple misfortunes often occur close together.
  • Trouble never knocks at your door in solitude

​Phrases Opposite to When It Rains It Pours

The idiom "when it rains, it pours" is usually (though not always) used to talk about a series of unpleasant events. If you are simply looking for phrases with neutral or positive meanings, you could say:

  • Like attracts like
  • Birds of a feather flock together
  • We attract what we reflect

​​What Is the Correct Saying?

The correct saying is "when it rains, it pours". You can also say "it never rains but it pours".

​​​Ways People May Say When It Rains It Pours Incorrectly

Before you use the phrase "when it rains, it pours", you should be aware that it is typically used to describe negative events. Some people do, however, use "when it rains, it pours" to talk about a series of extremely positive events.

​​​Acceptable Ways to Phrase When It Rains It Pours

You can use the phrase "when it rains, it pours" to describe a series of unfortunate things that happened to you, or in an attempt to comfort others who have just been faced with misfortune.

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