Etymology 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.
to raise your hand if you want to say something; to raise your walking stick to defend yourself
the flag was raised
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With the completion of the preliminary work of raising bridges on the Mauldeth Road-Wilmslow line, to accommodate overhead electrical equipment, further work has been put in hand on bridges on the London Midland Region main line between Manchester and Crewe.1957 October 23, “Notes and News: Manchester-Crewe Electrification”, in Railway Magazine, page 734:
Because of the heavy traffic, the 1960-61 Christmas guide to trains between King's Cross and the north stated: "To make travel conditions as comfortable as possible, passengers are requested to raise arm rests to enable four people to be seated on each side of those compartments which are fitted with arm rests."2023 December 27, David Turner, “Silent lines...”, in RAIL, number 999, pages 29-30:
2
Physical To form by the accumulation of materials or constituent parts; to build up; to erect.
to raise a wall, or a heap of stones
I will raise forts against thee.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah xxxix:3:
3
Physical To cause something to come to the surface of water.
The ship was raised ten years after it had sunk.
4
Nautical, TransportPhysical To cause (the land or any other object) to seem higher by drawing nearer to it.
to raise Sandy Hook light
5
Physical To make (bread, etc.) light, as by yeast or leaven.
The magic spell raised the dead from their graves!
7
Government, Military, Politics, WarPhysical 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.
Arts, Crafts, Engineering, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Metallurgy, Metalworking, Natural sciences, Physical sciencesPhysical To emboss (sheet metal), or to form it into cup-shaped or hollow articles, by hammering, stamping, or spinning.
10
To create, increase or develop.
We need to raise the motivation level in the company.
to raise the quality of the products; to raise the price of goods; to raise (increase) taxes
11
To collect or amass.
to raise a lot of money for charity; to raise troops
But capital was proving difficult to raise; rumours were in the air that the G.W.R. and L.S.W.R. were about to patch up their quarrel, and the people of Southampton, who twelve months earlier had staged a torch-light procession to celebrate the passing of the D.N.S.R. Act, were increasingly loath to part with their cash.1955 February, T. B. Sands, “The Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 79:
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Every pound raised goes to helping some of the world's most vulnerable children.2021 October 20, “Stop & Examine”, in RAIL, number 942, page 71:
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Obsolete To call up the forces of, to raise the troops from.
May it pleaſe your Grace that I ſhall raiſe the ſtreets, To Gard your Maieſtie through Smithfield as you walke.1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act III:
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To bring up; to grow.
We visited a farm where they raise chickens.
Chew with your mouth shut — were you raised in a barn?
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Ting Ling had disappeared from public life in 1958. She was accused of being a "Rightist" and was sent to a farm in Hei-lung-chiang Province in remote northeast China, worked there twelve years raising chickens, was in prison five years (1970-1975), and began to live in a village in Shansi in 1975.1981, Hualing Nieh, editor, Literature of the Hundred Flowers, volume II, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page xxxix:
14
To promote.
to raise somebody to office
15
To mention (a question, issue) for discussion.
A few important questions were raised after the attack.
President Donald Trump’s offer to most federal employees to resign now and be paid through September stunned the workers who received it – angering some, confusing many and raising questions about whether the offer is even legal.2025 February 1, Tami Luhby, Eric Bradner and Rene Marsh, “Federal employees confused, angered by Trump’s offer to quit”, in CNN:
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All of which is to say, SignalGate raises plenty of security, privacy, and legal issues.2025 March 26, Andy Greenberg, Lily Hay Newman, “SignalGate Isn’t About Signal”, in WIRED:
16
Law To create; to constitute (a use, or a beneficial interest in property).
There should be some consideration (i.e., payment or exchange) to raise a use.
17
To bring into being; to produce; to cause to arise, come forth, or appear.
Starting in January we will raise (introduce) taxes on all tobacco substitutes and vaping accessories.
I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy xviii:18:
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God voutsafes to raise another World From him [Noah], and all his anger to forget.1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite.[…]Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival?1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
18
To establish contact with (e.g., by telephone or radio).
Despite all the call congestion, she was eventually able to raise the police.
19
Card games, Poker To respond to a bet by increasing the amount required to continue in the hand.
John bet, and Julie raised, requiring John to put in more money.
Human sciences, Linguistics, SciencesOf a verb To extract (a subject or other verb argument) out of an inner clause.
22
Human sciences, Linguistics, SciencesOf a vowel To produce a vowel with the tongue positioned closer to the roof of the mouth.
23
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.
24
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences To instantiate and transmit (an exception, by throwing it, or an event).
A division by zero will raise an exception.
Provide some mechanism in the local service class to raise the event. This might take the form of a public method that the host application can invoke to raise the event.2007, Bruce Bukovics, Pro WF: Windows Workflow in .NET 3.0, page 243:
Etymology 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.
1
US, Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of pay raise (“an increase in wages or salary”).
The boss gave me a raise.
2
Ball games, Curling, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A shot in which the delivered stone bumps another stone forward.
Business, Mining 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.
5
Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports, Weightlifting A shoulder exercise in which the arms are elevated against resistance.