knee-deep

[nee-deep]

adjective

1. reaching the knees.

   knee-deep mud.

2. submerged or covered up to the knees.

   knee-deep in water.

3. deeply embroiled; enmeshed; involved.

   knee-deep in trouble.

knee-deep

adjective

1. so deep as to reach or cover the knees

   knee-deep mud

2. 1. sunk or covered to the knees

      knee-deep in sand

   2. immersed; deeply involved

      knee-deep in work

Word History and Origins

Origin of knee-deep¹

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

Six months after Liar’s Poker was published, I was knee-deep in letters from students at Ohio State University who wanted to know if I had any other secrets to share about Wall Street.

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One slope climbed so high that she rose up from the ocean surface and continued on, wading through knee-deep water.

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Rescuers and relatives searched knee-deep in water for the body of one-year-old Zara.

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In Jamaica, the impact was most severe in the southwestern parish of St Elizabeth, where knee-deep mud and washed-out bridges left towns such as Black River cut off.

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By June, peach season is well underway and I’m knee-deep in turning out goodies that pay homage to my favorite sunset-hued, fuzzy stone fruit.

Read more on Salon