high

[ hahy ]

/ haɪ /

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See synonyms for: high / higher / highest / highs on Thesaurus.com

adjective, high·er, high·est.

having a great or considerable extent or reach upward or vertically; lofty; tall: a high wall.

having a specified extent upward: The apple tree is now 20 feet high.

situated above the ground or some base; elevated: a high platform; a high ledge.

exceeding the common degree or measure; strong; intense: high speed; high color.

expensive; costly; dear: The price of food these days is much too high.

exalted in rank, station, eminence, etc.; of exalted character or quality: a high official; high society.

Music.

acute in pitch.
a little sharp, or above the desired pitch.

produced by relatively rapid vibrations; shrill: the high sounds of crickets.

extending to or from an elevation: a high dive.

great in quantity, as number, degree, or force: a high temperature; high cholesterol.

Religion.

chief; principal; main: the high altar of a church.
High Church.

of great consequence; important; grave; serious; the high consequences of such a deed; high treason.

haughty; arrogant:He took a high tone with his subordinates.

advanced to the utmost extent or to the culmination: high tide.

elevated; merry or hilarious: high spirits; a high old time.

rich; extravagant; luxurious: They have indulged in high living for years.

Informal. intoxicated with alcohol or narcotics: He was so high he couldn't stand up.

remote: high latitude; high antiquity.

extreme in opinion or doctrine, especially religious or political: a high Tory.

designating or pertaining to highland or inland regions.

having considerable energy or potential power.

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.

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.Compare close (def. 53), low¹ (def. 30).

(of meat, especially game) tending toward a desirable or undesirable amount of decomposition; slightly tainted: He likes his venison high.

Metallurgy. containing a relatively large amount of a specified constituent (usually used in combination): high-carbon steel.

Baseball. (of a pitched ball) crossing the plate at a level above the batter's shoulders: The pitch was high and outside.

Cards.

having greater value than other denominations or suits.
able to take a trick; being a winning card.
being or having a winning combination: Whose hand is high?

Nautical. noting a wind of force 10 on the Beaufort scale, equal to a whole gale.

adverb, high·er, high·est.

at or to a high point, place, or level.

in or to a high rank or estimate: He aims high in his political ambitions.

at or to a high amount or price.

in or to a high degree.

luxuriously; richly; extravagantly: They have always lived high.

Nautical. as close to the wind as is possible while making headway with sails full.

noun

Automotive. high gear: He shifted into high when the road became level.

Informal. high school.

Meteorology. a pressure system characterized by relatively high pressure at its center.Compare anticyclone, low¹ (def. 46).

a high or the highest point, place, or level; peak: a record high for unemployment.

Slang.

a euphoric state induced by alcohol, drugs, etc.
a period of sustained excitement, exhilaration, or the like: After winning the lottery he was on a high for weeks.

Cards. the ace or highest trump out, especially in games of the all fours family.

OTHER WORDS FOR high

6 elevated, eminent, prominent, distinguished.

12 capital.

See synonyms for high on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR high

1 low.

See antonyms for high on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about high

fly high, to be full of hope or elation: His stories began to sell, and he was flying high.

high and dry,

(of a ship) grounded so as to be entirely above water at low tide.
in a deprived or distressing situation; deserted; stranded: We missed the last bus and were left high and dry.

high and low, in every possible place; everywhere: The missing jewelry was never found, though we searched high and low for it.

high on, Informal. enthusiastic or optimistic about; having a favorable attitude toward or opinion of.

on high,

at or to a height; above.
in heaven.
having a high position, as one who makes important decisions: the powers on high.

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”

synonym study for high

1. 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 WORDS FROM high

o·ver·high, adjectiveo·ver·high·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH high

1. hi, hie, high 2. higher , hire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use high in a sentence

How to Train Your Dragon 2, the tenth highest grossing movie in 2014 America, made $22 million at the Korean box office.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But even they should see the marches as expressions of our best and highest ideals.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?|Goldie Taylor|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The highest number of deaths came from Malaysian workers, of which 42,000 out of 75,000 died.
Riding Thailand’s WWII Death Railway|Liza Foreman|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Michigan supposedly offered 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh a $42 million contract, which would him the highest-paid coach in the NCAA.
Is Any College Football Coach Worth $60 Million? Jim Harbaugh Is|Jesse Lawrence|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The highest form of political courage is doing the right thing when the mob is against it.
Rubio’s Embargo Anger Plays to the Past|Michael Tomasky|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The whole aim is to secure the development of character by the expression of the highest elements of character.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
We would classify these two departments in this way, though in the highest dramatic work elements of both phases are combined.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
After breakfast I hurried off to the station, where I met the others, everybody being in the highest spirits.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
The country is undulating and beautiful, mainly devoted to Grass, Wheat and Wood, and in the very highest condition.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
The clerical staff in all the offices had combined and presented a petition in the highest quarter.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for high

high

/ (haɪ) /

adjective

being a relatively great distance from top to bottom; talla high building

situated at or extending to a relatively great distance above the ground or above sea levela high plateau

(postpositive) being a specified distance from top to bottomthree feet high
(in combination)a seven-foot-high wall

extending from an elevationa high dive

(in combination) coming up to a specified levelknee-high

being at its peak or point of culminationhigh noon

of greater than average heighta high collar

greater than normal in degree, intensity, or amounthigh prices; a high temperature; a high wind

of large or relatively large numerical valuehigh frequency; high voltage; high mileage

(of sound) acute in pitch; having a high frequency

(of latitudes) situated relatively far north or south from the equator

(of meat) slightly decomposed or tainted, regarded as enhancing the flavour of game

of great eminence; very importantthe high priestess

exalted in style or character; elevatedhigh drama

expressing or feeling contempt or arrogancehigh words

elated; cheerfulhigh spirits

(predicative) informal overexcitedby the end of term the children are really high

informal being in a state of altered consciousness, characterized esp by euphoria and often induced by the use of alcohol, narcotics, etc

luxurious or extravaganthigh life

advanced in complexity or developmenthigh finance

(of a gear) providing a relatively great forward speed for a given engine speedCompare low 1 (def. 21)

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 moonCompare low 1 (def. 20)

(capital when part of name) formal and elaborate in styleHigh Mass

(usually capital) of or relating to the High Church

remote, esp in time

cards

having a relatively great value in a suit
able to win a trick

high and dry stranded; helpless; destitute

high and low in all places; everywhere

high and mighty informal arrogant

high as a kite informal

very drunk
overexcited
euphoric from drugs

high opinion a favourable opinion

adverb

at or to a heighthe jumped high

in a high manner

nautical close to the wind with sails full

noun

a high place or level

informal a state of altered consciousness, often induced by alcohol, narcotics, etc

another word for anticyclone

short for high school

(capital) (esp in Oxford) the High Street

electronics the voltage level in a logic circuit corresponding to logical oneCompare low 1 (def. 30)

on high

at a height
in heaven

Word Origin for high

Old English hēah; related to Old Norse hār, Gothic hauhs, Old High German hōh high, Lithuanian kaũkas bump, Russian kúchča heap, Sanskrit kuča bosom

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with high

high

In addition to the idioms beginning with high

high and dry
high and low
high and mighty
high as a kite
high gear
high hopes
high horse
high jinks
high off the hog, eat
high on
high places, friends in
high seas
high sign
high time

also see:

blow sky-high
fly high
friend in court (high places)
hell or high water
hit the high spots (points)
hold one's head high
in high dudgeon
knee-high to a grasshopper
on high
on one's high horse
ride high
run high
stink to high heaven
think a lot (highly) of
turn on (get high)

high

OTHER WORDS FOR high

OPPOSITES FOR high

Idioms about high

Origin of high

synonym study for high

OTHER WORDS FROM high

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH high

Words related to high

How to use high in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for high

Word Origin for high

Other Idioms and Phrases with high