altitude

American  

[al-ti-tood, -tyood] / ˈæl tɪˌtud, -ˌtjud /

noun

• altitudes
  plural

1. 

   the height of anything above a given planetary reference plane, especially above sea level on earth.

   Synonyms:

   elevation

2. extent or distance upward; height.

   Antonyms:

   depth

3. Astronomy. the angular distance of a heavenly body above the horizon.

4. Geometry.

   1. the perpendicular distance from the vertex of a figure to the side opposite the vertex.

   2. the line through the vertex of a figure perpendicular to the base.

5. Usually altitudes. a high place or region.

   mountain altitudes.

6. high or important position, rank, etc.

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altitude British  

/ ˈæltɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. the vertical height of an object above some chosen level, esp above sea level; elevation

2. geometry the perpendicular distance from the vertex to the base of a geometrical figure or solid

3. Also called: elevation.  astronomy nautical the angular distance of a celestial body from the horizon measured along the vertical circle passing through the body Compare azimuth

4. surveying the angle of elevation of a point above the horizontal plane of the observer

5. (often plural) a high place or region

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altitude Scientific  

/ ăl′tĭ-to̅o̅d′ /

1. The height of an object or structure above a reference level, usually above sea level or the Earth's surface.

2. Astronomy The position of a celestial object above an observer's horizon, measured in degrees along a line between the horizon (0°) and the zenith (90°). Unlike declination and celestial latitude —the corresponding points in other celestial coordinate systems—the altitude of star or other celestial object is dependent on an observer's geographic location and changes steadily as the sky passes overhead due to the rotation of the Earth.

3. Astronomy See more at altazimuth coordinate system

4. Mathematics The perpendicular distance from the base of a geometric figure, such as a triangle, to the opposite vertex, side, or surface.

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Synonym Usage

See height.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• altitudinal
  adjective
• altitudinous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• altitudes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of altitude

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin altitūdō; see origin at alti-, -tude

Explanation

The noun altitude refers to how high something rises: “The high altitude of the Himalayan mountain range slowed the progress of the hikers.” Whether it refers to how high a plane is flying or to the height of a landform, the word altitude is used to describe an object’s elevation above a particular reference point. Altitude is typically measured from sea level, which is the average level of the sea’s surface. Something that is far above sea level — such as Mount Everest — is said to have a high altitude. Something closer to the ground — such as a plane approaching for landing — is said to have a low altitude.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

altitude altitudes

But Cress points out that for news helicopters, and police choppers, hovering and maintaining low altitude is a common practice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Starship is set to fly at an altitude of about 275 kilometers above Earth and complete six orbits around the planet.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

“Just as an atlas is a collection of maps, linking together features of the land like altitude and location, AlphaGenome Atlas charts the molecular effects of DNA variants across the genome.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

That altitude and speed puts them out of range for Ukraine's current fleet of interceptors and "wipe out the progress we had made in the fight", Ukrainian military expert Sergiy Zgurets told AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

When going for altitude, bigger wasn’t always better.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

The data show many Hamptons-bound flights operated by companies such as Flexjet traveling at around 1,000 feet, a fraction of the average cruising altitudes they advertise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

This is when air moves violently at high altitudes with no clouds or other visual cues to help a pilot avoid it.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

They came from different words and lived at different altitudes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Farther above, at altitudes of several hundred kilometers, traces of Earth's upper atmosphere can still exert enough drag to slow satellites.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Today visitors from lower altitudes are constantly warned that the area is very cold.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• distance
• elevation
• peak