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

With the new high-rise apartments on offer, investors—so far, mainly locals and Albanians living overseas—are paying prices that would have been inconceivable just five years ago. —Zoë Dare Hall, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Another video showed up-close the damage caused to a residential high-rise, including mounds of dust and rubble, shattered windows and exposed wiring. —Nbc News, NBC news, 20 June 2025

Noun

Quite the opposite: Agolde ‘90s Jeans are what make my high-rise-loving ‘90s-baby heart flutter. —Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 27 Mar. 2023

After Oksana’s death, Hryhorii and his wife, Ninel, moved into Oksana’s compact, tidy flat in a Kyiv high-rise. —Alice Martins, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2023

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