Rainfall that stays in the liquid state becomes runoff that makes up streams and rivers. Water that is not used for some purpose eventually flows to the ocean. Water that evaporates from the oceans then condenses and eventually falls back to Earth in the form of rain. This is also known as the hydrologic cycle.
The water cycle is the continuous movement of water in the atmosphere, over the land, and in the ocean. Through precipitation, water condenses, forming a liquid and falling to the Earth as rain, snow, hail or fog. Once on the ground, water either remains in its liquid state, freezes, becoming ice or evaporates, becoming a gas. For a full-szed chart of the water cycle, click here.