(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.
Dungalach, son of Faelghus, Grandson of just Nadfraech, Was the first who transgressed Patrick's cain from the beginning.
From The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings by O'Leary, James
The modern woman has learned it is a club that raises cain.
From Modern Eloquence: Vol III, After-Dinner Speeches P-Z by Various
Th' railroad hands got paid, to-day, an' they're raisin' cain.
From Injun and Whitey to the Rescue by Hart, William S.
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
If she were here, and I went on raising cain like I been doing, she'd have a fit.
From Babbitt by Lewis, Sinclair
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.
