low-rise

low-rise — adjective

IPA/ˈləʊ.raɪz/
IPA/ˈloʊ.raɪz/

1. describes a building that has only one or two floors above ground, usually witho

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a building that has only one or two floors above ground, usually without an elevator, often found in suburban areas or neighbourhoods where space is not limited.

Example

The school district built a new low-rise classroom block next to the playing field.

collocation: low-rise + classroom block / housing / building

Most of the families in this area prefer low-rise apartment buildings over tall tower blocks.

Common collocations
  • low-rise building
  • low-rise housing
  • low-rise apartment
  • low-rise complex
  • low-rise office block
Synonyms
  • single-storey

    often means exactly one floor; 'low-rise' may include two floors

  • ground-level

    emphasises that the building sits close to the ground; less common for multi-unit housing

Antonyms
  • high-rise

    a multi-floor building that typically has elevators

  • tower block

    a tall urban apartment or office building

Grammar Patterns

low-rise + noun (building, apartment complex, housing)

Usage Note

Commonly used as an attributive adjective before nouns like 'building', 'housing', 'apartment', or 'complex'. The opposite term is 'high-rise.'

Common Mistakes

We live in a low-rise.' (as a noun for a person)
We live in a low-rise building.
'low-rise' alone is a noun meaning the building itself, not a person.

2. describes trousers or jeans whose waistband sits below the natural waist, typica

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes trousers or jeans whose waistband sits below the natural waist, typically on the hips, creating a shorter distance from the waistband to the crotch.

Example

The shop assistant showed the teenager a pair of low-rise jeans with an embroidered back pocket.

collocation: low-rise + jeans / trousers / pants

Low-rise trousers were very popular in the early 2000s among young people.

Common collocations
  • low-rise jeans
  • low-rise trousers
  • low-rise pants
  • low-rise waistband
Synonyms
  • hip-hugger

    informal term for jeans that sit low on the hips; considered a 1970s/2000s style

  • low-waisted

    less common synonym; 'low-rise' is the standard term in fashion catalogues

Antonyms
  • high-rise

    trousers with a waistband at or above the natural waist

  • high-waisted

    trousers or skirts whose waistband sits above the belly button

Grammar Patterns

low-rise + noun (jeans, trousers, pants)

Usage Note

Primarily a fashion-industry term. The opposite concept is 'high-rise' or 'high-waisted.' Not typically applied to formal trousers — most common with jeans and casual pants.

Common Mistakes

These are low-rise jeans that go up to my belly button.
These are low-rise jeans that sit below my waist.
low-rise trousers sit low on the hips, not high on the waist.

low-rise — noun

IPA/ˈləʊ raɪz/
IPA/ˈləʊ raɪz/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Low-rise' is the standard term in architecture and urban planning for buildings of one or two floors, often in a residential complex. 'Single-storey' (or 'one-storey') is more precise — it means exactly one floor — and is common in house listings ('a single-storey home'). 'Ground-level' emphasises the building's proximity to the ground rather than its floor count; a ground-level office may technically be part of a larger structure. In everyday use, 'low-rise' contrasts with 'high-rise,' while 'single-storey' contrasts with 'multi-storey.' For example, a retirement village might have low-rise apartments (some with two floors), but a bungalow is always single-storey.

low-rise ↗single-storeyone-storeyground-level ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • low-rise building
  • low-rise housing
  • low-rise apartment
  • low-rise complex
  • low-rise jeans
  • low-rise trousers

Phrases

  • low-rise development
  • low-rise construction

Prepositions

  • in a low-rise
  • into a low-rise
  • of low-rise buildings

Etymology

Old NorseOld EnglishEnglish

'Low-rise' is a compound formed from 'low' (from Old Norse 'lágr', meaning not high) and 'rise' (from Old English 'rīsan', meaning to go upward). The term was first used in the mid-20th century in architectural contexts to distinguish shorter buildings from the 'high-rise' towers that were becoming common in cities. Its use for trousers followed in the late 20th century, describing a waistline that 'rises' only a short distance from the crotch.