raise

[ reyz ]
See synonyms for: raiseraisedraising on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),raised, rais·ing.
  1. to move to a higher position; lift up; elevate: to raise one's hand; sleepy birds raising their heads and looking about.

  2. to set upright: When the projection screen toppled, he quickly raised it again.

  1. to cause to rise or stand up; rouse: The sound of the bugle raised him from his bed.

  2. to build; erect: to raise a monument.

  3. to set up the framework of: to raise a house.

  4. to set in motion; activate: to raise a storm of protest.

  5. to grow or breed, care for, or promote the growth of: to raise corn; to raise prizewinning terriers.

  6. to serve in the capacity of parent to; rear: to raise children.

  7. to give rise to; bring up or about: His comments raised a ripple of applause.

  8. to put forward; present for public consideration: He raised the issue of his opponent's eligibility.

  9. Law. to make (an issue at law).

  10. to restore to life: to raise the dead.

  11. to stir up: to raise a rebellion with stirring speeches.

  12. to give vigor to; animate: The news raised his spirits.

  13. to advance in rank or position: to raise someone to the peerage.

  14. to assemble or collect: to raise an army; to raise money for a charity.

  15. to increase the height or vertical measurement of: The blocks raise the table three inches.

  16. to increase in degree, intensity, pitch, or force: to raise the volume of a radio.

  17. to utter (a cry, shout, etc.) in a loud voice.

  18. to cause (the voice) to be heard: to raise one's voice in opposition.

  19. to cause (dough or bread) to rise by expansion and become light, as by the use of yeast.

  20. to increase in amount: to raise rents; to raise salaries.

  21. to increase (the value or price) of a commodity, stock, bond, etc.

  22. Poker.

    • to increase (another player's bet).

    • to bet at a higher level than (a preceding bettor).

  23. Bridge. to increase (the bid for a contract) by repeating one's partner's bid at a higher level.

  24. Phonetics. to alter the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue closer to the palate: The vowel in “pen” is raised to (i) in some dialects.

  25. to increase the amount specified in (a check, money order, or the like) by fraudulent alteration.

  26. Military. to end (a siege) by withdrawing the besieging forces or by compelling the besieging forces to withdraw.

  27. Nautical.

    • to cause (something) to rise above the visible horizon by approaching it.

    • to come in sight of (land, a whale, etc.).

  28. to establish communication with by radio: The radioman was able to raise shore headquarters after three tries.

  29. Mining. to excavate (an opening) upward from a level below.

verb (used without object),raised, rais·ing.
  1. to be able to be lifted or pulled up: The window raises easily.

  2. (in cards, poker, etc.) to increase a previous bet or bid: My cards weren't good enough to let me raise.

noun
  1. an increase in amount, as of wages: a raise in pay.

  2. the amount of such an increase: His raise was five dollars.

  1. a raising, lifting, etc.: a raise in spirits.

  2. a raised or ascending place; rise.

  3. Mining. a shaft excavated upward from below.: Compare winze1.

Idioms about raise

  1. raise Cain. Cain1 (def. 3).

Origin of raise

1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English reisen (verb), from Scandinavian (compare Old Norse reisa); compare also Gothic -raisjan (causative verb formed on Germanic base of Old English rīsan “to rise” (see rise), Old English rǣran “to rear up” (see rear2)

synonym study For raise

1, 2. Raise, lift, heave, hoist imply bringing something up above its original position. Raise, the most general word, may mean to bring something to or toward an upright position with one end resting on the ground; or it may be used in the sense of lift, moving an object a comparatively short distance upward but breaking completely its physical contact with the place where it had been: to raise a ladder; to raise ( lift ) a package. Heave implies lifting with effort or exertion: to heave a huge box onto a truck. Hoist implies lifting slowly and gradually something of considerable weight, usually with mechanical help, such as given by a crane or derrick: to hoist steel beams to the top of the framework of a building.

confusables note For raise

Raise and rise are similar in form and meaning but different in grammatical use. Raise is the causative of rise; to raise something is to cause it to rise. Raise is almost always used transitively. Its forms are regular: Raise the window. The flag had been raised before we arrived. Raise in the intransitive sense “to rise up, arise” is nonstandard: Dough raises better when the temperature is warm.
Rise is almost exclusively intransitive in its standard uses. Its forms are irregular: My husband usually rises before seven. The earliest I have ever risen is eight. The sun rose in a cloudless sky. The dough is rising now.
Both raise and rear are used in the United States to refer to the upbringing of children. Although raise was formerly condemned in this sense (“You raise hogs but you rear children”), it is now standard.
In American English, a person receives a raise in salary. In British English it is a rise.

Other words for raise

Opposites for raise

Other words from raise

  • rais·a·ble, raise·a·ble, adjective
  • raiser, noun
  • non·rais·a·ble, adjective
  • non·raise·a·ble, adjective
  • re·raise, verb (used with object), re·raised, re·rais·ing.
  • un·rais·a·ble, adjective
  • un·raise·a·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with raise

  • 1. raise , raze
  • 2. raise , rise (see usage note at the current entry)

Words Nearby raise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use raise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for raise

raise

/ (reɪz) /


verb(mainly tr)
  1. to move, cause to move, or elevate to a higher position or level; lift

  2. to set or place in an upright position

  1. to construct, build, or erect: to raise a barn

  2. to increase in amount, size, value, etc: to raise prices

  3. to increase in degree, strength, intensity, etc: to raise one's voice

  4. to advance in rank or status; promote

  5. to arouse or awaken from or as if from sleep or death

  6. to stir up or incite; activate: to raise a mutiny

  7. raise Cain, raise the devil, raise hell or raise the roof

    • to create a boisterous disturbance

    • to react or protest heatedly

  8. to give rise to; cause or provoke: to raise a smile

  9. to put forward for consideration: to raise a question

  10. to cause to assemble or gather together; collect: to raise an army

  11. to grow or cause to grow: to raise a crop

  12. to bring up; rear: to raise a family

  13. to cause to be heard or known; utter or express: to raise a shout; to raise a protest

  14. to bring to an end; remove: to raise a siege; raise a ban

  15. to cause (dough, bread, etc) to rise, as by the addition of yeast

  16. poker to bet more than (the previous player)

  17. bridge to bid (one's partner's suit) at a higher level

  18. nautical to cause (something) to seem to rise above the horizon by approaching: we raised land after 20 days

  19. to establish radio communications with: we managed to raise Moscow last night

  20. to obtain (money, funds, capital, etc)

  21. to bring (a surface, a design, etc) into relief; cause to project

  22. to cause (a blister, welt, etc) to form on the skin, to expel (phlegm) by coughing

  23. phonetics to modify the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth

  24. maths to multiply (a number) by itself a specified number of times: 8 is 2 raised to the power 3

    • to institute (a suit or action at law)

    • to draw up (a summons)

  25. mainly US and Canadian to increase the amount payable on (a cheque, money order, etc) fraudulently

  26. curling to push (a stone) towards the tee with another stone

  27. raise an eyebrow

    • Also: raise one's eyebrows to look quizzical or surprised

    • to give rise to doubt or disapproval

  28. raise one's glass to to drink the health of; drink a toast to

  29. raise one's hat old-fashioned to take one's hat briefly off one's head as a greeting or mark of respect

noun
  1. the act or an instance of raising

  2. mainly US and Canadian an increase, esp in salary, wages, etc; rise

Origin of raise

1
C12: from Old Norse reisa; related to Old English rǣran to rear ²

Derived forms of raise

  • raisable or raiseable, adjective
  • raiser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with raise

raise

In addition to the idioms beginning with raise

  • raise a hand against
  • raise an objection
  • raise a stink
  • raise Cain
  • raise eyebrows
  • raise havoc
  • raise hell
  • raise one's hackles
  • raise one's sights
  • raise one's voice
  • raise the ante
  • raise the curtain
  • raise the devil
  • raise the roof

also see:

  • cause raised eyebrows
  • curtain raiser
  • make (raise) a stink
  • play (raise) havoc

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.