— raisable, raiseable , adj. — raiser , n.
/rayz/ , v. , raised, raising , n.
v.t.
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.
3. to cause to rise or stand up; rouse: The sound of the bugle raised him from his bed.
4. to build; erect: to raise a monument.
5. to set up the framework of: to raise a house.
6. to set in motion; activate: to raise a storm of protest.
7. to grow or breed, care for, or promote the growth of: to raise corn; to raise prizewinning terriers.
8. to serve in the capacity of parent to; rear: to raise children.
9. to give rise to; bring up or about: His comments raised a ripple of applause.
10. to put forward; present for public consideration: He raised the issue of his opponent's eligibility.
11. Law. to make (an issue at law).
12. to restore to life: to raise the dead.
13. to stir up: to raise a rebellion with stirring speeches.
14. to give vigor to; animate: The news raised his spirits.
15. to advance in rank or position: to raise someone to the peerage.
16. to assemble or collect: to raise an army; to raise money for a charity.
17. to increase the height or vertical measurement of: The blocks raise the table three inches.
18. to increase in degree, intensity, pitch, or force: to raise the volume of a radio.
19. to utter (a cry, shout, etc.) in a loud voice.
20. to cause (the voice) to be heard: to raise one's voice in opposition.
21. to cause (dough or bread) to rise by expansion and become light, as by the use of yeast.
22. to increase in amount: to raise rents; to raise salaries.
23. to increase (the value or price) of a commodity, stock, bond, etc.
24. Poker.
a. to increase (another player's bet).
b. to bet at a higher level than (a preceding bettor).
25. Bridge. to increase (the bid for a contract) by repeating one's partner's bid at a higher level.
26. Phonet. 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.
27. to increase the amount specified in (a check, money order, or the like) by fraudulent alteration.
28. Mil. to end (a siege) by withdrawing the besieging forces or by compelling the besieging forces to withdraw.
29. Naut.
a. to cause (something) to rise above the visible horizon by approaching it.
b. to come in sight of (land, a whale, etc.).
30. to establish communication with by radio: The radioman was able to raise shore headquarters after three tries.
31. Mining. to excavate (an opening) upward from a level below.
v.i.
32. to be able to be lifted or pulled up: The window raises easily.
33. (in cards, poker, etc.) to increase a previous bet or bid: My cards weren't good enough to let me raise.
34. raise Cain . See Cain (def. 3).
n.
35. an increase in amount, as of wages: a raise in pay.
36. the amount of such an increase: His raise was five dollars.
37. a raising, lifting, etc.: a raise in spirits.
38. a raised or ascending place; rise.
39. Mining. a shaft excavated upward from below. Cf. winze 1 .
[ 1150-1200; ME reisen (v.) reisa ); cf. also Goth -raisjan (causative v. formed on Gmc base of OE risan to RISE), OE raeran to REAR 2 ]
Syn. 1, 2. loft. 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. 3. arouse, awaken. 4. construct, rear. 7. cultivate. 9. originate, produce, effect. 13. excite. 14. invigorate, inspirit. 15. elevate, promote, exalt. 17. heighten, enlarge. 18. amplify, augment.
Ant. 1. lower.
Usage . 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.