raisin

IPA/ˈreɪzn/
KK[rˈezɪn]IPA/ˈreɪzn/

raisin — noun

  • raisinsingular
  • raisinsplural

1. a sweet food made by drying a grape until it becomes small and wrinkled

1.nounA2
Definition

a sweet food made by drying a grape until it becomes small and wrinkled

Example

Marta sprinkled raisins over warm oatmeal before the train ride.

sprinkle raisins over oatmeal

During art class, Eitan counted six raisins beside the paper lion.

Common collocations
  • box of raisins
  • raisin bread
  • a handful of raisins
  • mix raisins into rice
Synonyms
  • sultana

    often a lighter, softer kind of raisin rather than the broad everyday term

  • dried fruit

    a much broader category that includes raisins and many other fruits

Grammar Patterns

eat raisins

add raisins to a cake

a box of raisins

Usage Note

This noun is often plural when you talk about raisins in bread, cereal, or snacks. Singular raisin is fine for one piece, but everyday English more often mentions a few raisins together.

Common Mistakes

She put raisin on the bread.
She put raisins on the bread.
Use the plural when you mean several small dried grapes.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For this sense, raisin names the small dried fruit itself. Dried fruit is a much broader term and can include dates, apricots, or mango pieces, so use it only when the exact fruit does not matter. Sultana often refers to a lighter, softer kind of raisin, especially in British-influenced food language. Grape is the fresh fruit before drying, so it is not a normal synonym once the fruit has been dried. If a recipe says add raisins, it means the dried pieces specifically. Add grapes would describe a very different ingredient.

raisin ↗dried fruitsultana ↗grape ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • raisin bread
  • raisin buns
  • raisin pudding

Phrases

  • eat raisins
  • add raisins to a cake
  • a handful of raisins

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Raisin came into English through French from an older Latin word linked to a cluster of grapes or berries. The history stayed close to grapes all along, but in modern English the word narrowed to mean the grape after it has been dried for food.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined above