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.
Shopowner Chayaphol Promkleng thought at first that his business would be spared because flooding was "only ankle-deep".
From Barron's • Nov. 28, 2025
“You would need two, three guys to push your boat about three-fourths of a mile in ankle-deep water.”
From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2024
Nearby, three young men and a young woman stood ankle-deep in mud as a plow pushed debris to the side of the road.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2024
Their home was surrounded by ankle-deep putrid water.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 30, 2023
Hassan and I stand ankle-deep in untamed grass, I am tugging on the line, the spool spinning in Hassan’s calloused hands, our eyes turned up to the kite in the sky.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
