Raise

/ɹeɪz/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Ellipsis of pay raise (“an increase in wages or salary”).
  • Grammar: raise is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: lift, lift, salary increase, abandon.
  • Useful contrasts: depressed, depressing, lower energy state.
  • Usage evidence: The only useful answers are those that raise new questions.

How to use "raise"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "raise" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "raise" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "raise" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "raise" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "raise" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "lift" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "raise", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Ellipsis of pay raise (“an increase in wages or salary”). US, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

    "The boss gave me a raise."

  2. 2
    A cairn or pile of stones.
  3. 3
    the act of raising something wordnet
  4. 4
    A shot in which the delivered stone bumps another stone forward.
  5. 5
    increasing the size of a bet (as in poker) wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    A bet that increases the previous bet.
  2. 7
    the amount a salary is increased wordnet
  3. 8
    A shaft or a winze that is dug from below, for purposes such as ventilation, local extraction of ore, or exploration.

    "1944 United States. Bureau of Mines • War Minerals Report 386. Google books It was necessary to spile through the vug, as it was filled with mud. A raise was driven 55 feet to the surface in this vug for ventilation, and it was completed just as the demand for optical calcite ceased. The underground drifts were left well timbered, and mining of this deposit could be started with very little preliminary work."

  4. 9
    an upward slope or grade (as in a road) wordnet
  5. 10
    A shoulder exercise in which the arms are elevated against resistance.
Verb
  1. 1
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate. physical

    "to raise your hand if you want to say something; to raise your walking stick to defend yourself"

  2. 2
    cause to become alive again wordnet
  3. 3
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.; To form by the accumulation of materials or constituent parts; to build up; to erect. physical

    "to raise a wall, or a heap of stones"

  4. 4
    raise the level or amount of something wordnet
  5. 5
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.; To cause something to come to the surface of water. physical

    "The ship was raised ten years after it had sunk."

Show 49 more definitions
  1. 6
    increase the level of wordnet
  2. 7
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.; To cause (the land or any other object) to seem higher by drawing nearer to it. physical

    "to raise Sandy Hook light"

  3. 8
    put an end to a situation wordnet
  4. 9
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.; To make (bread, etc.) light, as by yeast or leaven. physical
  5. 10
    raise in rank or condition wordnet
  6. 11
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.; To cause (a dead person) to live again; to resurrect. figuratively, physical

    "The magic spell raised the dead from their graves!"

  7. 12
    invigorate or heighten wordnet
  8. 13
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.; To remove or break up (a blockade), either by withdrawing the ships or forces employed in enforcing it, or by driving them away or dispersing them. physical
  9. 14
    bring (a surface or a design) into relief and cause to project wordnet
  10. 15
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.; To relinquish (a siege), or cause this to be done. physical, transitive
  11. 16
    multiply (a number) by itself a specified number of times: 8 is 2 raised to the power 3 wordnet
  12. 17
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.; To emboss (sheet metal), or to form it into cup-shaped or hollow articles, by hammering, stamping, or spinning. physical, transitive
  13. 18
    establish radio communications with wordnet
  14. 19
    To create, increase or develop. transitive

    "We need to raise the motivation level in the company."

  15. 20
    activate or stir up wordnet
  16. 21
    To create, increase or develop.; To collect or amass. transitive

    "to raise a lot of money for charity; to raise troops"

  17. 22
    cause to be heard or known; express or utter wordnet
  18. 23
    To create, increase or develop.; To call up the forces of, to raise the troops from. obsolete, transitive

    "May it pleaſe your Grace that I ſhall raiſe the ſtreets, To Gard your Maieſtie through Smithfield as you walke."

  19. 24
    pronounce (vowels) by bringing the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth wordnet
  20. 25
    To create, increase or develop.; To bring up; to grow. transitive

    "We visited a farm where they raise chickens."

  21. 26
    put forward for consideration or discussion wordnet
  22. 27
    To create, increase or develop.; To promote. transitive
  23. 28
    cause to assemble or enlist in military wordnet
  24. 29
    To create, increase or develop.; To mention (a question, issue) for discussion. transitive

    "A few important questions were raised after the attack."

  25. 30
    bet more than the previous player wordnet
  26. 31
    To create, increase or develop.; To create; to constitute (a use, or a beneficial interest in property). transitive

    "There should be some consideration (i.e., payment or exchange) to raise a use."

  27. 32
    bid (one's partner's suit) at a higher level wordnet
  28. 33
    To create, increase or develop.; To bring into being; to produce; to cause to arise, come forth, or appear. transitive

    "Starting in January we will raise (introduce) taxes on all tobacco substitutes and vaping accessories."

  29. 34
    summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic wordnet
  30. 35
    To establish contact with (e.g., by telephone or radio).

    "Despite all the call congestion, she was eventually able to raise the police."

  31. 36
    construct, build, or erect wordnet
  32. 37
    To respond to a bet by increasing the amount required to continue in the hand. intransitive

    "John bet, and Julie raised, requiring John to put in more money."

  33. 38
    cultivate by growing, often involving improvements by means of agricultural techniques wordnet
  34. 39
    To exponentiate, to involute.

    "Two raised to the fifth power equals 32."

  35. 40
    create a disturbance, especially by making a great noise wordnet
  36. 41
    To extract (a subject or other verb argument) out of an inner clause. transitive
  37. 42
    call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses) wordnet
  38. 43
    To produce a vowel with the tongue positioned closer to the roof of the mouth. transitive
  39. 44
    move upwards wordnet
  40. 45
    To increase the nominal value of (a cheque, money order, etc.) by fraudulently changing the writing or printing in which the sum payable is specified.
  41. 46
    raise from a lower to a higher position wordnet
  42. 47
    To instantiate and transmit (an exception, by throwing it, or an event). transitive

    "A division by zero will raise an exception."

  43. 48
    cause to puff up with a leaven wordnet
  44. 49
    To open, initiate. India, transitive

    "I will raise a trouble-ticket in order to correct this reporting issue."

  45. 50
    collect funds for a specific purpose wordnet
  46. 51
    Misspelling of raze. alt-of, misspelling
  47. 52
    give a promotion to or assign to a higher position wordnet
  48. 53
    register formally as a participant or member wordnet
  49. 54
    look after a child until it is an adult wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
liftliftsalary increaseabandonaberrationabet

Antonyms

depresseddepressinglower energy stateorphaned

Example

"The only useful answers are those that raise new questions."

Common questions

What does "raise" mean?

Ellipsis of pay raise (“an increase in wages or salary”).

What is a synonym for "raise"?

Common synonyms include: lift, lift, salary increase, abandon, aberration, abet.

How do you use "raise" in a sentence?

The only useful answers are those that raise new questions.

How do you pronounce "raise"?

Pronounced /ɹeɪz/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English reysen, raisen, reisen, from Old Norse reisa (“to raise”), from Proto-Germanic *raisijaną, *raizijaną (“to raise”), causative form of Proto-Germanic *rīsaną (“to rise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to rise, arise”). According to Kroonen (2013), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃er- (“to stir, rise”). Cognate with Old English rāsian (“to explore, examine, research”), Old English rīsan (“to seize, carry off”), Old English rǣran (“to raise”). Doublet of rear.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Old Norse hreysi; the spelling came about under the influence of the folk etymology that derived it from the verb.

More for "raise"

Synonyms

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