height
Americannoun
-
heights
plural
-
extent or distance upward.
The balloon stopped rising at a height of 500 feet.
- Antonyms:
- depth
-
distance upward from a given level to a fixed point.
the height from the ground to the first floor; the height of an animal at the shoulder.
- Antonyms:
- depth
-
the distance between the lowest and highest points of a person standing upright; stature.
She is five feet in height.
- Synonyms:
- tallness
-
considerable or great altitude or elevation.
the height of the mountains.
-
Often heights
-
a high place above a level; a hill or mountain.
They stood on the heights overlooking the valley.
-
the highest part; top; apex; summit.
In his dreams he reached the heights.
- Synonyms:
- prominence
-
-
the highest point; utmost degree.
the height of power; the height of pleasure.
- Synonyms:
- culmination, zenith, acme, pinnacle, peak
-
Archaic. high rank in social status.
noun
-
the vertical distance from the bottom or lowest part of something to the top or apex
-
the vertical distance of an object or place above the ground or above sea level; altitude
-
relatively great altitude or distance from the bottom to the top
-
the topmost point; summit
-
astronomy the angular distance of a celestial body above the horizon
-
the period of greatest activity or intensity
the height of the battle
-
an extreme example of its kind
the height of rudeness
-
(often plural) an area of high ground
-
(often plural) the state of being far above the ground
I don't like heights
-
(often plural) a position of influence, fame, or power
the giddy heights they occupied in the 1980s
Spelling
Height, and not heighth, is considered the standard English form for this word.
Synonym Usage
Height, altitude, elevation refer to distance above a level. Height denotes extent upward (as from foot to head) as well as any measurable distance above a given level: The tree grew to a height of ten feet. They looked down from a great height. Altitude usually refers to the distance, determined by instruments, above a given level, commonly mean sea level: altitude of an airplane. Elevation implies a distance to which something has been raised or uplifted above a level: a hill's elevation above the surrounding country, above sea level.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of height
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hīehtho. See high, -th 1
Explanation
The noun height can mean the measurement of something from bottom to top. A pediatrician will measure the height of a child to make sure they are growing at a normal and healthy rate. Height derives from the Old English word hehthu, meaning "top of something." To measure your height, you measure the distance from the floor to the top of your head. The height of a mountain is its elevation above sea level (the height of Mt. Everest, for instance, is 29,029 feet). Height can also mean the most extreme or intense part of something: The height of cherry blossom season in Japan is late March through early April.
Vocabulary lists containing height
Geometry - Introductory
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Geometry - Middle School
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Measurement and Data, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
I took a massive risk to go to 85th and Broadway and start an organization at the height of the homicide crisis and gang crisis — and crack cocaine and AIDS.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Vertical wind shear refers to changes in wind speed or direction with height.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
The 34-year-old tells the BBC: "The real height of fast fashion is behind us".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
In 1970, at the height of the anti-Vietnam War movement, Princeton University responded to those trends and dropped “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” from its official commencement program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Arlo favors my dad, with his dark complexion and impressive height.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Buffett, in one of his last messages to stockholders as CEO, praised them to the heights, saying they were high-quality businesses, very good value and Berkshire-like in their capital discipline.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
But in a rare GQ profile ahead of his much-anticipated new film, “Digger,” Cruise’s zeal reaches heights even the intrepid actor might think twice about parachuting from.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Jets' draft and John Harbaugh going to the Giants should mean they could rise to the heady heights of being mediocre.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Acme wasn’t exactly made for the ascendant financial heights reachable only by Spider-Man.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
Every now and again they heard a dull rumble, as a great boulder rolled down from hidden heights above.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
