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

Team owner Jerry Jones went out of his way to sing the praises of Clowney while speaking with a few reporters from a high-rise bar in San Francisco prior to the Super Bowl. —Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026

Pepper Canyon East would be composed of high-rise buildings that would sit on 20 acres of land on the eastern edge of campus, next to the southbound lanes of Interstate 5, adding to UCSD’s rapidly growing skyline. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026

Noun

The island is famously low-key, thanks in part to an ordinance that restricts buildings over three stories, keeping high-rises and big resort brands off the sand. —Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026

From a distance, the structures today resemble rows of high-rise apartments encased in steel. —Yusuke Maekawa, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 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