Meaning & use
raisins
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“raisins” is a form of “raisin”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
Dried grapes, dark and sweet and chewy, eaten as a snack or baked into breads, cakes and cereals.
Grammar: Plural of raisin; counted one by one or as a mass: some raisins, a box of raisins.
Patterns
- a handful of raisins
- raisins in something
She stirred a spoonful of raisins into her morning oatmeal.
My grandmother's bread pudding is full of plump raisins.
The kids picked the raisins out of the cookies and left them on the plate.
Word forms
| singular | raisin |
|---|
Common combinations
- a box of raisins
- He packed a small box of raisins in his lunch.
- soak raisins
- Soak the raisins in warm water for ten minutes.
- seedless raisins
- We bought seedless raisins for the carrot cake.
- raisin bread
- Toasted raisin bread is good with butter.
- golden raisins
- Golden raisins give the rice a gentler sweetness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sultanas
- Sultanas are a lighter, softer British type of dried grape, whereas raisins are usually darker and chewier.
- currants
- Currants are much smaller and tarter, made from a different grape variety, so the two are not interchangeable in recipes.
- dried grapes
- Dried grapes is a plain descriptive phrase and sounds less like a product name than raisins.
Word family
Commonly confused: raisins or currants?
raisins vs currants
Currants are smaller and sharper than raisins, and the word is also used for a berry. Do not swap them blindly in baking.
Practice
The cookie recipe calls for a cup of ____, which are dried grapes.
Choose one answer.
Raisins are the dried grapes. Currents and currants are different, and reasons and raising only sound similar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “raisins”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.