"raise hell" meaning in English

See raise hell in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-raise hell.ogg [Australia] Forms: raises hell [present, singular, third-person], raising hell [participle, present], raised hell [participle, past], raised hell [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} raise hell (third-person singular simple present raises hell, present participle raising hell, simple past and past participle raised hell)
  1. (idiomatic) To cause a considerable disturbance. Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: raise the devil, raise Cain, raise hob, raise the roof, rain hell, reign hell, stir shit, raise the dead (english: disturb loudly), wake the dead Related terms: hellraiser, rain hellfire Translations (to cause a disturbance): alkaa riehua (Finnish), क़हर ढाना (qahar ḍhānā) (Hindi), bajt kever (Hungarian), balhézik (Hungarian), balhét csap (Hungarian), fare il diavolo a quattro (Italian), tsiʼhoołááł (Navajo), будить лихо (buditʹ lixo) (Russian)
    Sense id: en-raise_hell-en-verb-iQKGw0sX Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with Hindi translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Navajo translations, Terms with Russian translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 67 33 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 69 31 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 70 30 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 73 27 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 75 25 Disambiguation of Terms with Hindi translations: 77 23 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 77 23 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 75 25 Disambiguation of Terms with Navajo translations: 77 23 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 75 25 Disambiguation of 'to cause a disturbance': 100 0
  2. To complain vociferously (about a certain matter). Synonyms: raise the devil, raise Cain, raise hob, raise the roof, give someone hell, throw a fit
    Sense id: en-raise_hell-en-verb-T3fszuvX

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "raises hell",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "raising hell",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "raised hell",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "raised hell",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "raise hell (third-person singular simple present raises hell, present participle raising hell, simple past and past participle raised hell)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "67 33",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "69 31",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "70 30",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "73 27",
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        {
          "_dis": "75 25",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
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        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "75 25",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "75 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: (disturb loudly) raise the dead, wake the dead"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              52,
              57
            ],
            [
              63,
              67
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2013, Jason Isbell, Super 8:",
          "text": "Don't want to sleep yet, buddy it's a good bet I'll raise more hell than you.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              52,
              57
            ],
            [
              72,
              76
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2022, Marisol Cortez, “Ambivalent Anality: Revisiting the Queer Ecology of \"the Jackass Moment\"”, in Media+Environment:",
          "text": "A segment where several cast members in panda suits raise skateboarding hell in the streets of Tokyo.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cause a considerable disturbance."
      ],
      "id": "en-raise_hell-en-verb-iQKGw0sX",
      "links": [
        [
          "disturbance",
          "disturbance"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To cause a considerable disturbance."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "85 15",
          "word": "hellraiser"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "85 15",
          "word": "rain hellfire"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "raise the devil"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise Cain"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise hob"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise the roof"
        },
        {
          "word": "rain hell"
        },
        {
          "word": "reign hell"
        },
        {
          "word": "stir shit"
        },
        {
          "english": "disturb loudly",
          "translation": "disturb loudly",
          "word": "raise the dead"
        },
        {
          "word": "wake the dead"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
          "word": "alkaa riehua"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "lang_code": "hi",
          "roman": "qahar ḍhānā",
          "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
          "word": "क़हर ढाना"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
          "word": "bajt kever"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
          "word": "balhézik"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
          "word": "balhét csap"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
          "word": "fare il diavolo a quattro"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "nv",
          "lang": "Navajo",
          "lang_code": "nv",
          "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
          "word": "tsiʼhoołááł"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "buditʹ lixo",
          "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
          "word": "будить лихо"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              101,
              111
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2022 February 9, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Mounting opposition to IRP”, in RAIL, number 950, page 3:",
          "text": "Local authorities, media and all other regional stakeholders need to wake up, step up, and (frankly) raise hell... before it's too late.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To complain vociferously (about a certain matter)."
      ],
      "id": "en-raise_hell-en-verb-T3fszuvX",
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "raise the devil"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise Cain"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise hob"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise the roof"
        },
        {
          "word": "give someone hell"
        },
        {
          "word": "throw a fit"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-raise hell.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1a/En-au-raise_hell.ogg/En-au-raise_hell.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/En-au-raise_hell.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "raise hell"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with Hindi translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Navajo translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "raises hell",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "raising hell",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "raised hell",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "raised hell",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "raise hell (third-person singular simple present raises hell, present participle raising hell, simple past and past participle raised hell)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "hellraiser"
    },
    {
      "word": "rain hellfire"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
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        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
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        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: (disturb loudly) raise the dead, wake the dead"
        },
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              52,
              57
            ],
            [
              63,
              67
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2013, Jason Isbell, Super 8:",
          "text": "Don't want to sleep yet, buddy it's a good bet I'll raise more hell than you.",
          "type": "quotation"
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        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              52,
              57
            ],
            [
              72,
              76
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2022, Marisol Cortez, “Ambivalent Anality: Revisiting the Queer Ecology of \"the Jackass Moment\"”, in Media+Environment:",
          "text": "A segment where several cast members in panda suits raise skateboarding hell in the streets of Tokyo.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cause a considerable disturbance."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "disturbance",
          "disturbance"
        ]
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To cause a considerable disturbance."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "raise the devil"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise Cain"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise hob"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise the roof"
        },
        {
          "word": "rain hell"
        },
        {
          "word": "reign hell"
        },
        {
          "word": "stir shit"
        },
        {
          "english": "disturb loudly",
          "translation": "disturb loudly",
          "word": "raise the dead"
        },
        {
          "word": "wake the dead"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              101,
              111
            ]
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          "ref": "2022 February 9, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Mounting opposition to IRP”, in RAIL, number 950, page 3:",
          "text": "Local authorities, media and all other regional stakeholders need to wake up, step up, and (frankly) raise hell... before it's too late.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To complain vociferously (about a certain matter)."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "raise the devil"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise Cain"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise hob"
        },
        {
          "word": "raise the roof"
        },
        {
          "word": "give someone hell"
        },
        {
          "word": "throw a fit"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-raise hell.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1a/En-au-raise_hell.ogg/En-au-raise_hell.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/En-au-raise_hell.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
      "word": "alkaa riehua"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "roman": "qahar ḍhānā",
      "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
      "word": "क़हर ढाना"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
      "word": "bajt kever"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
      "word": "balhézik"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
      "word": "balhét csap"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
      "word": "fare il diavolo a quattro"
    },
    {
      "code": "nv",
      "lang": "Navajo",
      "lang_code": "nv",
      "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
      "word": "tsiʼhoołááł"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "buditʹ lixo",
      "sense": "to cause a disturbance",
      "word": "будить лихо"
    }
  ],
  "word": "raise hell"
}

Download raw JSONL data for raise hell meaning in English (4.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (d6fca27 and 65e1673). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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