raisin

American  

[ray-zin] / ˈreɪ zɪn /

noun

• raisins
  plural

1. a grape of any of various sweet varieties dried in the sun or by artificial means, often used in cooking.

2. dark purplish blue.

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raisin British  

/ ˈreɪzən /

noun

1. a dried grape

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• raisiny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• raisins
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of raisin

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English raisin, reisin, from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin racīmus, for Latin racēmus; see raceme

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Explanation

A raisin is a dehydrated or sun-dried grape. Raisins are sweet and chewy, and they're often found in oatmeal cookies and granola. Raisins are one of the most common kind of dried fruit — they turn up everywhere from a preschooler's snack box to a fancy bakery's scones and cinnamon rolls. The most common way to make a raisin is to dry grapes in the sun, though it's quicker for producers to use dehydrating machines. The word raisin dates to the thirteenth century, from the Latin racemus, which means "cluster of grapes or berries."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

raisin raisins

"To see nanoscale structures with standard electron microscopy, we fix and dehydrate the tissues, but freezing them retains their shape -- similar to freezing a grape rather than dehydrating it into a raisin," Watanabe said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Just a few days ago, I had a chicken salad on raisin bread with an Arnold Palmer, and it was delicious.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Jacobsen, an almond and raisin grape grower, tracked his chill hours carefully all winter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

In a Yelets bakery the smell of freshly baked raisin bread, scones and cream pastries is intoxicating.

From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026

As we tucked into big slabs of sour cream raisin pie, Grandma observed, “They’re putting on a talent show. We might look in on that. We won’t have to stay till the end.”

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

A farmworker, 43, who is not identified for her safety, picks grapes that will be sold as raisins in southwest Fresno County on Sept. 3.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

She sat on the ground on a thin cushion fashioned from some clothes, with small sacks of cashews, almonds, raisins, walnuts and dried figs placed in front.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

Three Iranian men pressed rehydrated raisins at an artisan distillery just outside New York, thousands of miles from their war-struck homeland.

From Barron's ● May 2, 2026

Cooling, yes, but also connective — pulling together the richness of the pork, the sweetness of the raisins, the brightness of the herbs into something that feels cohesive, complete.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026

Billy Ray ate a few raisins, a tortilla, nothing else.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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