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

That building was torn down in 1931, but the New York Life Building still represented one of the city’s early high-rises a block away. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026

This 33-square-mile barrier island off the coast of Fort Myers is famously low-rise and low-key—there are no stoplights, no high-rises, and more than 70 percent of the land is protected. —Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 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