knee-high
[adjective nee-hahy; noun nee-hahy]
- as high as the knees.
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- knee-highs. Also knee highs, knee-hi's, knee his. socks, stockings, or boots that cover the lower legs to just below the knees.
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Origin of knee-high
An Americanism dating back to 1735–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for knee-high
Contemporary Examples
She took the podium in a black McQueen waistcoat embroidered with gold flowers and knee-high leather boots.
Historical Examples
She was knee-high to a grasshopper, and I was shoulder-high.
If You Touch Them They VanishGouverneur Morris
The lawn is like velvet and everywhere the grass is knee-high.
The Life of Mrs. Robert Louis StevensonNellie van De Grift Sanchez
Why, I ain't bin inside a schoolhouse since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.
Trent's Trust and Other StoriesBret Harte
He hesitated a moment, then pushed between the knee-high stalks.
It Could Be AnythingJohn Keith Laumer
Since he was knee-high he's always had an aidge on most folks, 'count of his size an' weight.
Rimrock TrailJ. Allan Dunn
knee-high
- another word for knee-deep (def. 1)
- as high as the kneea knee-high child
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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
Word Origin and History for knee-high
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper