riser

Everyday

1. A person who gets up from bed at a certain time: «an early riser», «a late riser». tree →
2. The upright part of each step on a staircase, between one tread and the next. tree →
3. A low platform or stage block that makes people stand higher, as for a choir. tree →
4. A pipe going upwards in a building. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life «early riser» describes someone who wakes up early. In design and maths, stairs have risers and treads; the riser height tells how high each step is. In school concerts choirs stand on risers. Phrases: «early riser», «late riser», «choir risers».

Examples

• Grandma is an early riser and gets up at five. tree →
• I'm a late riser at weekends. tree →
• Each stair riser is 18 centimetres high. tree →
• The choir stood on risers so everyone could be seen. tree →
• The water riser pipe runs up the building for the firefighters. tree →
• If there are 12 steps with 20 cm risers, the stairs are 240 cm high. tree →

Note

Countable: risers. In maths problems with stairs: total height = number of steps × riser height. Comes from «rise».