1 B1 idiomatic informal
To rain very heavily (always used with the fixed subject 'it'; British English)
"Take an umbrella — it's been chucking it down all morning."
chuck it down
B1 informal intransitive
To rain very heavily (British English fixed expression)
In plain English
When it rains very, very hard — like someone is pouring buckets of water from the sky
What does "chuck it down" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To chuck (throw) 'it' (the rain) downward — as if someone in the sky is throwing water down
Actually means
When it rains very, very hard — like someone is pouring buckets of water from the sky
Usage tip
Fixed British English expression — the pronoun 'it' cannot be replaced or moved. Almost always used in continuous tenses: 'it's chucking it down' or 'it was chucking it down'. Used in everyday British speech about weather. Not understood in all varieties of English.
Words that pair with "chuck it down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
outside rain umbrella typical again all day
How to conjugate "chuck it down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
chuck it down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
chucks it down
he/she/it
Past simple
chucked it down
yesterday
Past participle
chucked it down
have + pp
-ing form
chucking it down
continuous
Hear "chuck it down" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "chuck it down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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