high
Americanadjective
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higher,
comparative
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highest
superlative
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having a great or considerable extent or reach upward or vertically; lofty; tall.
a high wall.
- Antonyms:
- low
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having a specified extent upward.
The apple tree is now 20 feet high.
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situated above the ground or some base; elevated.
a high platform;
a high ledge.
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exceeding the common degree or measure; strong; intense.
high speed;
high color.
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expensive; costly; dear.
The price of food these days is much too high.
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exalted in rank, station, eminence, etc.; of exalted character or quality.
a high official;
high society.
- Synonyms:
- distinguished, prominent, eminent, elevated
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Music.
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acute in pitch.
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a little sharp, or above the desired pitch.
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produced by relatively rapid vibrations; shrill.
the high sounds of crickets.
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extending to or from an elevation.
a high dive.
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great in quantity, as number, degree, or force.
a high temperature;
high cholesterol.
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Religion.
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chief; principal; main.
the high altar of a church.
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High Church.
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of great consequence; important; grave; serious;
the high consequences of such a deed;
high treason.
- Synonyms:
- capital
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haughty; arrogant.
He took a high tone with his subordinates.
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advanced to the utmost extent or to the culmination.
high tide.
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elevated; merry or hilarious.
high spirits;
a high old time.
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rich; extravagant; luxurious.
They have indulged in high living for years.
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Informal. intoxicated with alcohol or narcotics.
He was so high he couldn't stand up.
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remote.
high latitude;
high antiquity.
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extreme in opinion or doctrine, especially religious or political.
a high Tory.
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designating or pertaining to highland or inland regions.
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having considerable energy or potential power.
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Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the speed of the engine crankshaft and of the drive shaft most closely correspond.
high gear.
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Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with the upper surface of the tongue relatively close to some portion of the palate, as the vowels of eat and it, which are high front, and those of boot and put, which are high back.
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(of meat, especially game) tending toward a desirable or undesirable amount of decomposition; slightly tainted.
He likes his venison high.
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Metallurgy. containing a relatively large amount of a specified constituent (usually used in combination).
high-carbon steel.
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Baseball. (of a pitched ball) crossing the plate at a level above the batter's shoulders.
The pitch was high and outside.
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Cards.
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having greater value than other denominations or suits.
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able to take a trick; being a winning card.
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being or having a winning combination.
Whose hand is high?
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Nautical. noting a wind of force 10 on the Beaufort scale, equal to a whole gale.
adverb
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at or to a high point, place, or level.
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in or to a high rank or estimate.
He aims high in his political ambitions.
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at or to a high amount or price.
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in or to a high degree.
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luxuriously; richly; extravagantly.
They have always lived high.
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Nautical. as close to the wind as is possible while making headway with sails full.
noun
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highs
plural
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Automotive. high gear.
He shifted into high when the road became level.
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Informal. high school.
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Meteorology. a pressure system characterized by relatively high pressure at its center.
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a high or the highest point, place, or level; peak.
a record high for unemployment.
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Slang.
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a euphoric state induced by alcohol, drugs, etc.
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a period of sustained excitement, exhilaration, or the like.
After winning the lottery he was on a high for weeks.
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Cards. the ace or highest trump out, especially in games of the all fours family.
idioms
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fly high, to be full of hope or elation.
His stories began to sell, and he was flying high.
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on high,
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at or to a height; above.
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in heaven.
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having a high position, as one who makes important decisions.
the powers on high.
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high and dry,
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high on, enthusiastic or optimistic about; having a favorable attitude toward or opinion of.
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high and low, in every possible place; everywhere.
The missing jewelry was never found, though we searched high and low for it.
adjective
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being a relatively great distance from top to bottom; tall
a high building
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situated at or extending to a relatively great distance above the ground or above sea level
a high plateau
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(postpositive) being a specified distance from top to bottom
three feet high
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( in combination )
a seven-foot-high wall
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extending from an elevation
a high dive
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(in combination) coming up to a specified level
knee-high
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being at its peak or point of culmination
high noon
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of greater than average height
a high collar
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greater than normal in degree, intensity, or amount
high prices
a high temperature
a high wind
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of large or relatively large numerical value
high frequency
high voltage
high mileage
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(of sound) acute in pitch; having a high frequency
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(of latitudes) situated relatively far north or south from the equator
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(of meat) slightly decomposed or tainted, regarded as enhancing the flavour of game
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of great eminence; very important
the high priestess
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exalted in style or character; elevated
high drama
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expressing or feeling contempt or arrogance
high words
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elated; cheerful
high spirits
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informal (predicative) overexcited
by the end of term the children are really high
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informal being in a state of altered consciousness, characterized esp by euphoria and often induced by the use of alcohol, narcotics, etc
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luxurious or extravagant
high life
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advanced in complexity or development
high finance
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(of a gear) providing a relatively great forward speed for a given engine speed Compare low 1
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phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a vowel whose articulation is produced by raising the back of the tongue towards the soft palate or the blade towards the hard palate, such as for the ee in English see or oo in English moon Compare low 1
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(capital when part of name) formal and elaborate in style
High Mass
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(usually capital) of or relating to the High Church
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remote, esp in time
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cards
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having a relatively great value in a suit
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able to win a trick
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stranded; helpless; destitute
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in all places; everywhere
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informal arrogant
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informal
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very drunk
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overexcited
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euphoric from drugs
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a favourable opinion
adverb
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at or to a height
he jumped high
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in a high manner
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nautical close to the wind with sails full
noun
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a high place or level
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informal a state of altered consciousness, often induced by alcohol, narcotics, etc
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another word for anticyclone
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short for high school
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(capital) (esp in Oxford) the High Street
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electronics the voltage level in a logic circuit corresponding to logical one Compare low 1
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at a height
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in heaven
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Synonym Usage
High, lofty, tall, towering refer to something that has considerable height. High is a general term, and denotes either extension upward or position at a considerable height: six feet high; a high shelf. Lofty denotes imposing or even inspiring height: lofty crags. Tall is applied either to something that is high in proportion to its breadth, or to anything higher than the average of its kind: a tall tree, building. Towering is applied to something that rises to a great or conspicuous height as compared with something else: a towering mountain.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of high
First recorded before 900; Middle English heigh, variant of hegh, hey, heh, Old English hēah, hēh; cognate with Dutch hoog, Old High German hoh ( German hoch ), Old Norse hār, Swedish hög, Gothic hauhs, Lithuanian kaũkas “swelling,” kaukarà “hill”
Explanation
Use the adjective high to describe something with a great elevation. If you want to see a really high mountain, you should visit Mount Everest. You can also use high to describe a sound or musical note that is elevated in pitch. Some stores use a high-pitched buzzing sound to keep teenagers from loitering. The noise drives teens crazy, but it doesn't bother their parents, because adults can't hear the high frequency. High also means a state of euphoria. After you win a first place medal at the swim meet, you might be on a high for days.
Vocabulary lists containing high
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:
Firefighters across Europe have been facing a series of wildfires this weekend, fuelled by high heat.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Temperatures reached as high as 37C in some parts of the country on Friday, creating conditions conducive to wildfire outbreaks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
To address high strikeout rates, the Cardinals placed Baez on the development list in 2024 to work on his swing mechanics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Mexican Americans, who make up the largest Hispanic population in the United States, also have particularly high rates of diabetes, obesity and dyslipidemia, conditions that can increase dementia risk.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Rhys, meet Nate. He was his high school’s undefeated foosball champion. Nate, meet Rhys.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Ticket prices have risen at some grounds, including highs of £55 for some adult tickets at The Oval, which covered both the women's and men's games that day.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The U.S. economy may appear vibrant, based on headlines about the low unemployment rate, the slow pace of layoffs, an apparent slowdown in inflation and the stock market hitting record highs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
U.S. stocks fell after weak retail sales data tempered enthusiasm about the artificial-intelligence boom that has driven major indexes to record highs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The heatwaves pummelling Europe this summer will have costly impacts on industries ranging from agriculture to tourism -- but that hasn't stopped stock markets from hitting all-time highs.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
It was a sunny Sunday morning in Washington, unusually warm, with highs expected to reach the low sixties.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Active managers argue that higher interest rates and AI disruption have created a stock picker’s market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Earlier research had already suggested that patients given low doses of digoxin did considerably better than those receiving higher doses.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Last time around, Walmart said people were putting less gas in their tanks as they tried to manage higher costs of living.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
County’s positive mosquito samples were 10 times higher this year than last and nationally, human cases were at a 20-year high for that point in the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
I hold the ladder steady, and Ray climbs higher.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
And replacing Diablo’s steady power with a combination of solar and batteries would be technically possible but increasingly expensive, particularly during the periods of highest demand, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Homeowners paying the highest bills on average were in New Jersey, Connecticut and New Hampshire.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
Reigning FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood is the highest placed British player and in a quartet that also includes Jordan Spieth at six under.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
New York’s highest court ruled the dual prosecutions were permissible because some of the charges were legally distinct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Pilots and navigators, many of them already experienced flight instructors, were all sure that the famous Marina Raskova might be able to influence the highest levels of government in a way that they could not.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
