low-rise

American  

[loh-rahyz] / ˈloʊˌraɪz /

adjective

1. having a comparatively small number of floors, as a motel or townhouse, and usually no elevator.

2. (of pants) having a waistline placed at or just below the hips.

   low-rise jeans.

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noun

1. a low-rise building.

low-rise British  

adjective

1. of or relating to a building having only a few storeys Compare high-rise

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noun

1. such a building

Etymology

Origin of low-rise

First recorded in 1955–60; on the model of high-rise ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

low-rise

After laying their family members to rest, the brothers went to live with their father in a modest, work-class neighbourhood of low-rise houses in the north-eastern outskirts of Cali, Colombia.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

PHOENIX—All around this desert city’s sprawling metro area, low-rise office parks with tinted windows and vast parking lots stretch to the horizon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

It is flanked by low-rise apartment buildings and retail spaces typical of the Bowery neighborhood.

From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026

Align Real Estate was pitching 25 stories of housing to sit atop the grocery store, creating a 297-foot tower that would loom over the rest of the traditionally low-rise neighborhood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026

So what are you going to dcr—make the low-rise homes lower?

From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones