ankle-deep
Americanadjective
-
high enough to reach or cover the ankles.
ankle-deep mud.
-
deeply involved or entangled.
He is ankle-deep in financial troubles.
adverb
Etymology
Origin of ankle-deep
First recorded in 1755–65
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.
It was as if the offense was ankle-deep in mud, a credit of course to New England’s swarming defense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2026
Shopowner Chayaphol Promkleng thought at first that his business would be spared because flooding was "only ankle-deep".
From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025
Flooding was also reported on the Isles of Scilly, with St Mary's resident Samaya Reid saying her family had come home from a night out to find "ankle-deep water" on their road.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025
They shared photos of him, standing in ankle-deep mud, visiting victims of a flood.
From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2023
I run down the path and find my cousins and friends in the creek wading ankle-deep.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
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.
