high-rise

1 of 2

adjective

ˈhī-ˈrīz 

1

: being multistory and equipped with elevators

high-rise apartments

2

: of, relating to, or characterized by high-rise buildings

a high-rise complex

3

: having a longer than standard rise (see rise entry 2 sense 7)

high-rise jeans

There are boxer shorts, low-rise briefs, high-rise briefs, … and colors galore.

—Nancy Lawson

high-rise

2 of 2

noun

ˈhī-ˌrīz 

variants or less commonly high rise

plural high-rises also high rises

: a building (such as an apartment building) that has multiple stories and is equipped with elevators

They live on the tenth floor of a high-rise.

Examples of high-rise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Key pieces include a women’s high-rise bootcut jean with an allover star pattern and red logo patch on the back and a women’s high-rise denim short with a two-inch inseam, curved dolphin hem, red stitching and a red Lee back patch. —Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 19 May 2026

That mission involves a teleportation device, human transmogrification, and a luxury high-rise with an absurd 45-degree slant. —Matthew Jacobs, Time, 19 May 2026

Noun

In 2004, a Cuban earthquake shook shades and chandeliers in some Miami high-rises. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026

The 51-story high-rise is awash in sunny shades of terracotta with Mediterranean-style archways and Baroque fountains. —Katie Riley, Southern Living, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun

1962, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

high-rise

adjective

ˈhī-ˈrīz

: having several stories and being equipped with elevators

high-rise apartments

high-rise noun