high

[ hahy ]
See synonyms for: highhigherhighesthighs on Thesaurus.com

adjective,high·er, high·est.
  1. having a great or considerable extent or reach upward or vertically; lofty; tall: a high wall.

  2. having a specified extent upward: The apple tree is now 20 feet high.

  1. situated above the ground or some base; elevated: a high platform;a high ledge.

  2. exceeding the common degree or measure; strong; intense: high speed;high color.

  3. expensive; costly; dear: The price of food these days is much too high.

  4. exalted in rank, station, eminence, etc.; of exalted character or quality: a high official;high society.

  5. Music.

    • acute in pitch.

    • a little sharp, or above the desired pitch.

  6. produced by relatively rapid vibrations; shrill: the high sounds of crickets.

  7. extending to or from an elevation: a high dive.

  8. great in quantity, as number, degree, or force: a high temperature;high cholesterol.

  9. Religion.

    • chief; principal; main: the high altar of a church.

    • High Church.

  10. of great consequence; important; grave; serious; the high consequences of such a deed;high treason.

  11. haughty; arrogant: He took a high tone with his subordinates.

  12. advanced to the utmost extent or to the culmination: high tide.

  13. elevated; merry or hilarious: high spirits;a high old time.

  14. rich; extravagant; luxurious: They have indulged in high living for years.

  15. Informal. intoxicated with alcohol or narcotics: He was so high he couldn't stand up.

  16. remote: high latitude;high antiquity.

  17. extreme in opinion or doctrine, especially religious or political: a high Tory.

  18. designating or pertaining to highland or inland regions.

  19. having considerable energy or potential power.

  20. Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the speed of the engine crankshaft and of the drive shaft most closely correspond: high gear.

  21. Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with the upper surface of the tongue relatively close to some portion of the palate, as the vowels of eat and it, which are high front, and those of boot and put, which are high back.: Compare close (def. 49), low1 (def. 30).

  22. (of meat, especially game) tending toward a desirable or undesirable amount of decomposition; slightly tainted: He likes his venison high.

  23. Metallurgy. containing a relatively large amount of a specified constituent (usually used in combination): high-carbon steel.

  24. Baseball. (of a pitched ball) crossing the plate at a level above the batter's shoulders: The pitch was high and outside.

  25. Cards.

    • having greater value than other denominations or suits.

    • able to take a trick; being a winning card.

    • being or having a winning combination: Whose hand is high?

  26. Nautical. noting a wind of force 10 on the Beaufort scale, equal to a whole gale.

adverb,high·er, high·est.
  1. at or to a high point, place, or level.

  2. in or to a high rank or estimate: He aims high in his political ambitions.

  1. at or to a high amount or price.

  2. in or to a high degree.

  3. luxuriously; richly; extravagantly: They have always lived high.

  4. Nautical. as close to the wind as is possible while making headway with sails full.

noun
  1. Automotive. high gear: He shifted into high when the road became level.

  2. Informal. high school.

  1. Meteorology. a pressure system characterized by relatively high pressure at its center.: Compare anticyclone, low1 (def. 46).

  2. a high or the highest point, place, or level; peak: a record high for unemployment.

  3. Slang.

    • a euphoric state induced by alcohol, drugs, etc.

    • a period of sustained excitement, exhilaration, or the like: After winning the lottery he was on a high for weeks.

  4. Cards. the ace or highest trump out, especially in games of the all fours family.

Idioms about high

  1. fly high, to be full of hope or elation: His stories began to sell, and he was flying high.

  2. high and dry,

    • (of a ship) grounded so as to be entirely above water at low tide.

    • in a deprived or distressing situation; deserted; stranded: We missed the last bus and were left high and dry.

  1. high and low, in every possible place; everywhere: The missing jewelry was never found, though we searched high and low for it.

  2. high on, Informal. enthusiastic or optimistic about; having a favorable attitude toward or opinion of.

  3. on high,

    • at or to a height; above.

    • in heaven.

    • having a high position, as one who makes important decisions: the powers on high.

Origin of high

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English heigh, variant of hegh, hey, heh, Old English hēah, hēh; cognate with Dutch hoog, Old High German hoh (German hoch ), Old Norse hār, Swedish hög, Gothic hauhs, Lithuanian kaũkas “swelling,” kaukarà “hill”

synonym study For high

1. High, lofty, tall, towering refer to something that has considerable height. High is a general term, and denotes either extension upward or position at a considerable height: six feet high; a high shelf. Lofty denotes imposing or even inspiring height: lofty crags. Tall is applied either to something that is high in proportion to its breadth, or to anything higher than the average of its kind: a tall tree, building. Towering is applied to something that rises to a great or conspicuous height as compared with something else: a towering mountain.

Other words for high

Opposites for high

Other words from high

  • o·ver·high, adjective
  • o·ver·high·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with high

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use high in a sentence

  • The whole aim is to secure the development of character by the expression of the highest elements of character.

    Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge Southwick
  • We would classify these two departments in this way, though in the highest dramatic work elements of both phases are combined.

    Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge Southwick
  • After breakfast I hurried off to the station, where I met the others, everybody being in the highest spirits.

  • The country is undulating and beautiful, mainly devoted to Grass, Wheat and Wood, and in the very highest condition.

    Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
  • The clerical staff in all the offices had combined and presented a petition in the highest quarter.

British Dictionary definitions for high

high

/ (haɪ) /


adjective
  1. being a relatively great distance from top to bottom; tall: a high building

  2. situated at or extending to a relatively great distance above the ground or above sea level: a high plateau

    • (postpositive) being a specified distance from top to bottom: three feet high

    • (in combination): a seven-foot-high wall

  1. extending from an elevation: a high dive

  2. (in combination) coming up to a specified level: knee-high

  3. being at its peak or point of culmination: high noon

  4. of greater than average height: a high collar

  5. greater than normal in degree, intensity, or amount: high prices; a high temperature; a high wind

  6. of large or relatively large numerical value: high frequency; high voltage; high mileage

  7. (of sound) acute in pitch; having a high frequency

  8. (of latitudes) situated relatively far north or south from the equator

  9. (of meat) slightly decomposed or tainted, regarded as enhancing the flavour of game

  10. of great eminence; very important: the high priestess

  11. exalted in style or character; elevated: high drama

  12. expressing or feeling contempt or arrogance: high words

  13. elated; cheerful: high spirits

  14. (predicative) informal overexcited: by the end of term the children are really high

  15. informal being in a state of altered consciousness, characterized esp by euphoria and often induced by the use of alcohol, narcotics, etc

  16. luxurious or extravagant: high life

  17. advanced in complexity or development: high finance

  18. (of a gear) providing a relatively great forward speed for a given engine speed: Compare low 1 (def. 21)

  19. phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a vowel whose articulation is produced by raising the back of the tongue towards the soft palate or the blade towards the hard palate, such as for the ee in English see or oo in English moon: Compare low 1 (def. 20)

  20. (capital when part of name) formal and elaborate in style: High Mass

  21. (usually capital) of or relating to the High Church

  22. remote, esp in time

  23. cards

    • having a relatively great value in a suit

    • able to win a trick

  24. high and dry stranded; helpless; destitute

  25. high and low in all places; everywhere

  26. high and mighty informal arrogant

  27. high as a kite informal

    • very drunk

    • overexcited

    • euphoric from drugs

  28. high opinion a favourable opinion

adverb
  1. at or to a height: he jumped high

  2. in a high manner

  1. nautical close to the wind with sails full

noun
  1. a high place or level

  2. informal a state of altered consciousness, often induced by alcohol, narcotics, etc

  1. another word for anticyclone

  2. short for high school

  3. (capital) (esp in Oxford) the High Street

  4. electronics the voltage level in a logic circuit corresponding to logical one: Compare low 1 (def. 30)

  5. on high

    • at a height

    • in heaven

Origin of high

1
Old English hēah; related to Old Norse hār, Gothic hauhs, Old High German hōh high, Lithuanian kaũkas bump, Russian kúchča heap, Sanskrit kuča bosom

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with high

high

In addition to the idioms beginning with high

  • high and dry
  • high and low
  • high and mighty
  • high as a kite
  • high gear
  • high hopes
  • high horse
  • high jinks
  • high off the hog, eat
  • high on
  • high places, friends in
  • high seas
  • high sign
  • high time

also see:

  • blow sky-high
  • fly high
  • friend in court (high places)
  • hell or high water
  • hit the high spots (points)
  • hold one's head high
  • in high dudgeon
  • knee-high to a grasshopper
  • on high
  • on one's high horse
  • ride high
  • run high
  • stink to high heaven
  • think a lot (highly) of
  • turn on (get high)

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