1 B2 idiomatic informal
(British English, informal) To rain extremely heavily.
"Don't go out without a coat — it's absolutely tipping it down out there."
inseparable
tip it down
B2 informal inseparable intransitive
A fixed British English expression meaning to rain very heavily.
In plain English
To rain so hard it looks like someone is pouring water from a huge bucket.
What does "tip it down" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
As if the sky is tipping a container of water downward.
Actually means
To rain so hard it looks like someone is pouring water from a huge bucket.
Usage tip
Almost exclusively British English. The pronoun 'it' is a dummy subject referring to the weather, as in 'it is raining'. Not used in American English. The expression always uses 'it' and is always in the progressive or simple present/past: 'it's tipping it down', 'it tipped it down all day'.
Words that pair with "tip it down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
rain weather outside umbrella forecast suddenly
How to conjugate "tip it down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
tip it down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tips it down
he/she/it
Past simple
tiped it down
yesterday
Past participle
tiped it down
have + pp
-ing form
tiping it down
continuous
Hear "tip it down" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "tip it down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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