knee-deep
Americanadjective
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reaching the knees.
knee-deep mud.
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submerged or covered up to the knees.
knee-deep in water.
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deeply embroiled; enmeshed; involved.
knee-deep in trouble.
adjective
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so deep as to reach or cover the knees
knee-deep mud
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sunk or covered to the knees
knee-deep in sand
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immersed; deeply involved
knee-deep in work
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Etymology
Origin of knee-deep
First recorded in 1525–35
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.
Newsom made the comment in an interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, during which the two men are standing knee-deep in a body of water while fishing.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Videos shared on social media showed people wading through knee-deep water, vehicles surrounded by water and multiple people being rescued by emergency services.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Workers on Wednesday were spotted in fishing waders standing knee-deep in the water vacuuming the bottom surface.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Less than a mile away from the Meta Campus, Menlo Park residents on Wednesday woke up to rising knee-deep floodwaters and possible evacuation warnings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025
The catwalk turned out to be a series of fifty-degree ice fields blanketed with knee-deep powder snow and riddled with crevasses.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
