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• high jump
  high jump

  noun

  a field event in which athletes, using a running start, compete in jumping for height over a crossbar supported by two upright poles.
• high-jump
  high-jump

  verb (used without object)

  to participate in the high jump; compete as a high jumper.

high jump

¹ American  

noun

Track.

• high jumps
  plural

1. a field event in which athletes, using a running start, compete in jumping for height over a crossbar supported by two upright poles.

2. a jump for height made in this event.

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high-jump ² American  

[hahy-juhmp] / ˈhaɪˌdʒʌmp /

verb (used without object)

1. to participate in the high jump; compete as a high jumper.

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verb (used with object)

1. to clear or attempt to clear (a specified height) in a high jump.

   a goal of high-jumping his own height.

high jump British  

noun

1. 1. an athletic event in which a competitor has to jump over a high bar set between two vertical supports

   2. ( as modifier )

      high-jump techniques

2. informal to be liable to receive a severe reprimand or punishment

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Usage

What is the high jump? The high jump is a track-and-field competition in which athletes attempt to complete the highest jump over a crossbar. An attempt in this event (the jump itself) is also called a high jump. In the high jump, a competitor (called a high jumper) must jump from one foot and must not cause the crossbar to fall—or else the attempt does not count. Each high jumper can opt to make the bar higher to complete a jump that’s higher than their competitors’ highest jump. They usually get three attempts to complete a jump. There are different high jump techniques, but the most popular involves the high jumper running toward the bar, turning as they jump, leaping over the bar backward, and arching their back in a way that avoids hitting the bar. High jump is a track-and-field event in the summer Olympic Games (the Summer Games) and it is also part of the modern decathlon. The high jump should not be confused with the long jump, which is a track-and-field (and decathlon) event in which athletes attempt to jump as far as possible. The pole vault also involves clearing a cross bar at the highest possible height, but pole vaulters do this by vaulting themselves into the air with a pole. Example: If she completes her next attempt, she will set a new world record in the high jump.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• high jumper
  noun
• high jumping
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• high jumps
  plural

Etymology

Origin of high jump¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Origin of high-jump²

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

high jump high-jump

Great Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson boosted her medal chances at the European Athletics Championships with a strong high jump performance in Birmingham.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

England's Morgan Lake did not clear the bar with any of her three efforts in the high jump.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Athletes shivered their way through their media interviews and high jump champion Eleanor Patterson of Australia was wearing a tartan scarf while officials struggled to clear water from the runway.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

“I could see it was a different vibe when she got into the high jump and triple jump.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

“So what do you want me to do? Coach track? Maybe the high jump? Or the pole vault? I’m a heck of a pole vaulter.”

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt

If San Pedro wins, maybe he’ll do a dunk afterward in the gym or bring out the high-jump pit and try to clear his career-best 6-2.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025

The high-jump bar kept being raised, and Fosbury kept clearing it.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 13, 2023

Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar's Mutaz Barshim deciding to share high-jump gold rather than contest the title.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2021

Ringside at the Indio National Horse Show in Indio, Calif., in 1968, Mr. Williams scouted 14-year-old Melissa Cardenas, now Mihalevich, a high-jump prodigy, pitching to her mother that Melissa should train with him.

From New York Times ● May 29, 2018

When Mr Wormwood arrived back from the garage that evening his face was as dark as a thundercloud and somebody was clearly for the high-jump pretty soon.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl