ankle-deep
Americanadjective
-
high enough to reach or cover the ankles.
ankle-deep mud.
-
deeply involved or entangled.
He is ankle-deep in financial troubles.
adverb
Etymology
Origin of ankle-deep
First recorded in 1755–65
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.
It was as if the offense was ankle-deep in mud, a credit of course to New England’s swarming defense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2026
Shopowner Chayaphol Promkleng thought at first that his business would be spared because flooding was "only ankle-deep".
From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025
Flooding was also reported on the Isles of Scilly, with St Mary's resident Samaya Reid saying her family had come home from a night out to find "ankle-deep water" on their road.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025
“You would need two, three guys to push your boat about three-fourths of a mile in ankle-deep water.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
Nudge my skiff on the bank and stand ankle-deep in the cool water listening to the quiet.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
