knee-deep
Americanadjective
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reaching the knees.
knee-deep mud.
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submerged or covered up to the knees.
knee-deep in water.
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deeply embroiled; enmeshed; involved.
knee-deep in trouble.
adjective
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so deep as to reach or cover the knees
knee-deep mud
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sunk or covered to the knees
knee-deep in sand
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immersed; deeply involved
knee-deep in work
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Etymology
Origin of knee-deep
First recorded in 1525–35
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.
Videos shared on social media showed people wading through knee-deep water, vehicles surrounded by water and multiple people being rescued by emergency services.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Videos of villagers knee-deep in floodwater frantically trying to catch snakes swimming in a flooded Guangxi town went viral on social media, with a related hashtag racking up over 180 million views.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
It’s worth trying, if only to remind yourself, when you’re knee-deep in a pristine, quiet bay, what makes the island special in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Less than a mile away from the Meta Campus, Menlo Park residents on Wednesday woke up to rising knee-deep floodwaters and possible evacuation warnings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025
We watched him fly for perhaps four minutes around the Esperanza estate while we stood knee-deep among the flowers.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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.
