What does ”over” really mean in this sentence?

”The rain fell over New York City”. Does this mean that it rained in every place of the city? Or does it state where from the rain fell?

I’m very confused about this.

Solution 1:

The very first dictionary definition you should find is "extending directly upwards from". The rain clouds must be above the city in order for it to rain there, so as the rain begins to fall it is over the city. For example, if you poured water over somebody, you'd hold the jug or whatever above their head and then pour the water.

It doesn't necessarily mean that it rained everywhere in New York City - rainfall can be scattered. I think you might be thinking of the expression "all over", which idiomatically does mean "everywhere".

In everyday speech, it is probably more idiomatic to say "it rained in New York City", but your example is more dramatic and possibly a style choice. Saying it is raining in New York gives me a mental image of a street scene where it is raining, whereas "it rained over New York" gives me an image of the clouds and the city skyline.