riser

American  

[rahy-zer] / ˈraɪ zər /

noun

1. a person who rises, especially from bed.

   to be an early riser.

2. the vertical face of a stair step.

3. any of a group of long boards or narrow platforms that can be combined in stepwise fashion.

   The choir stood on a horseshoe of risers behind the orchestra.

4. a vertical pipe, duct, or conduit.

5. Metallurgy. a chamber or enlarged opening at the top of a mold for allowing air to escape or adding extra metal.

6. Nautical.

   1. a heavy strake of planking in the vicinity of the garboard strake in a wooden vessel.

   2. rising.

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riser British  

/ ˈraɪzə /

noun

1. a person who rises, esp from bed

   an early riser

2. the vertical part of a stair or step

3. a vertical pipe, esp one within a building

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Etymology

Origin of riser

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; rise, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Workday stock was the S&P 500’s biggest riser, up 7.2%, while the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector exchanged-traded fund climbed 1.6%.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

The Helsinki-listed company is the biggest riser in the Europe-wide Stoxx 600 index.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

An early riser, Witkoff begins his day as it ends, pacing with his cellphone on a video call, its camera jerking haphazardly around the interior of his waterfront Miami mansion or private jet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

Once the team arrived at Dodger Stadium, it climbed atop a blue circular riser in the middle of the field — the final symbolic steps of their ascent back to the mountaintop of the sport.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2025

He sits beside me on the riser, a foot or so away.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli