(in the Bible) the first son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his brother Abel.
a murderer.
the first son of Adam and Eve, who killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1–16)
to cause a commotion
to react or protest heatedly
Middle English ( Scots ) cane, from Scots Gaelic; compare Old Irish cáin “statute, law, rent”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If she were here, and I went on raising cain like I been doing, she'd have a fit.
From Babbitt by Lewis, Sinclair
An I goes down to de Court House, and when I see dem cannons in deyard I cain keep from cryin'.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Tennessee Narratives by Work Projects Administration
Th' railroad hands got paid, to-day, an' they're raisin' cain.
From Injun and Whitey to the Rescue by Hart, William S.
Cain, Kain, kān, n. in old Scots law, rent paid in kind, esp. in poultry, &c.—To pay the cain, to pay the penalty.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
