riser

noun

ris·er | \ˈrī-zər

Definition of riser

1 : one that rises (as from sleep)

2 : the upright member between two stair treads

3 : a stage platform on which performers are placed for greater visibility

4 : a vertical pipe (as for water or gas) or a vertical portion of an electric wiring system

5 : one of the straps that connects a parachutist's harness with the shroud lines

Examples of riser in a Sentence

The school choir stood on the risers for the concert.

Recent Examples on the Web

Loubier has even gone so far as to paint the risers on the New York store’s staircase black, yellow and red—the colors of the Belgian flag. — Joshua Levine, WSJ, "Belgian Brand Delvaux Makes Its American Debut," 5 Nov. 2018 Pauline, an early riser, wearing a robe over tomboy pajamas, would show up at the couple’s room early every morning and even crawled into bed with them. — Dana Snitzky, Longreads, "Hemingway’s Last Girl," 12 July 2018 This morning in the Northeast, early risers woke to the first chill of fall—albeit rather late—the kind that called for breaking out a fuzzy sweater coat or jacket. — Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "Dakota Johnson Says Hello to Fall With a Femme Fatale Pedicure," 12 Oct. 2018 Each of the 27 stair treads and risers has slightly different dimensions. — Karen Bruno, WSJ, "A Staircase That Takes a Step Up," 21 Aug. 2018 One of the biggest risers over the course of the predraft process, Huerter is known to have secured at least one guarantee from teams further down in the first round and has shut down workouts. — Jeremy Woo, SI.com, "2018 NBA Mock Draft 9.0: Trade Speculation Heats Up," 10 June 2018 These results don’t mean an early death is imminent for late risers. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Why being a night owl may lead to earlier death," 27 Apr. 2018 The versatile, explosive Moore is one of the fastest risers in this year’s draft. — NOLA.com, "New Orleans Saints Mock Draft 3.0: The Saints add 'the next Steve Smith'," 29 Mar. 2018 As polls opened for early risers ready to cast their ballots for the General Primary election, voter turnout started out light in DeKalb County. — Alaa Elassar, ajc, "Voters line up as polls open for voting day in DeKalb county," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'riser.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.