raisin

American  

[rey-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

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

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

For example, the Supreme Court has held that a federal regulation requiring a raisin farmer to destroy a portion of his crop is a per se taking.

From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2026

Mr Handley said it was hard to tell when and how the raisin got into his daughter's airway.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2024

When Zoe tells Elmo he can’t eat Rocco’s oatmeal raisin cookie because the rock wants it, the typically buoyant puppet erupts.

From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2024

He’s like Paddy Clohessy the day I gave him the raisin.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

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

It’s a succulent mix of cornmeal, meat, olives, raisins and other delectables cooked and wrapped in banana leaves, a kind of Venezuelan tamale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2025

Wittgenstein’s aphorisms sparkle, but he recognized he overused them, admitting that “raisins may be the best part of a cake; but a bag of raisins is not better than a cake.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025

“There is a box of raisins in my handbag,” I tell him.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse