Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com

cain

1 American  
[keyn] / keɪn /
Scot., kane

noun

Scot. and Irish English.

  1. rent paid in kind, especially a percentage of a farm crop.

Cain 2 American  
[keyn] / keɪn /

noun

  1. (in the Bible) the first son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his brother Abel.

  2. a murderer.

idioms

  1. raise Cain,

    1. become angry or violent.

      He'll raise Cain when he finds out I lost his watch.

    2. to behave in a boisterous manner; cause a disturbance.

      The students raised Cain while the teacher was out.
Cain 3 American  
[keyn] / keɪn /

noun

  1. James M., 1892–1977, U.S. novelist.

Cain 1 British  
/ keɪn /

noun

  1. the first son of Adam and Eve, who killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1–16)

    1. to cause a commotion

    2. to react or protest heatedly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
cain 2 British  
/ keɪn /

noun

  1. history (in Scotland and Ireland) payment in kind, usually farm produce paid as rent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cain More Idioms  

  1. see raise Cain.

Other Word Forms

  • Cainism noun
  • Cainitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of cain

Middle English ( Scots ) cane, from Scots Gaelic; compare Old Irish cáin “statute, law, rent”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The storm had raised Cain in the thick timber of the river bottoms.

From Literature

Hannity will be the biggest name at Fox News to join its new media division, which already has a number of podcasts that feature on-air talent such as Will Cain and Tyrus.

From Los Angeles Times

Avery McTaggart, an agent at L.A.-based TBA Agency whose clients include Jungle, Big Thief, Remi Wolf and Ethel Cain, says the premise of an AI agent risks oversimplifying what booking agents actually do.

From Los Angeles Times

The move is “one of the most consequential and complex auto regulations in decades,” according to Hilary Cain, head of policy at trade group the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

From The Wall Street Journal

And that is incredibly dangerous, and you see why it’s politically sexy, because for an individual, if things aren’t going right for you, you have a choice, and it’s the same choice that Cain was given.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.