hail
A hail is a type of weather condition with small balls of ice falling from the sky. It's often associated with thunderstorms.
Hail is usually used to describe sudden and intense weather that's causing trouble for people outside. When meteorologists warn about hail, they're talking about something that might damage crops or cars if it hits hard enough. In everyday conversation, you might say "I got caught in the hail on my way home from work" or "The farmers are worried about the hail ruining their wheat harvest." Some people also use hail to refer to a kind of punishment in sports, like being hit with a penalty or getting sent off the field for misbehaving. In this sense, you might hear someone say "The coach was so upset that he gave his player a hail for arguing with the referee."
How common is "hail"?
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
noun
Balls or pieces of ice falling as precipitation, often in connection with a thunderstorm.
verb
Of hail, to fall from the sky.
Example: They say it's going to hail tomorrow.
Real examples of "hail" in context
