on high

Idioms  

1. Up in the sky; also, in heaven. For example, They fixed their eyes on high, looking for the comet , or, in the Bible (Psalms 63:5), “The Lord our God who dwelleth on high.” [c. 1200]

2. In a position of authority, as in Those on high have decreed that we work every other weekend . This usage is an ironic transfer from def. 1. Also see powers that be .

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Example Sentences

"The fact that use of salt substitutes remains so low and has not improved in two decades is eye-opening and reminds patients and health care professionals to discuss the use of these substitutes, particularly in visits focused on high blood pressure."

From Science Daily

I’m on high alert, trying to arrange the pieces of this puzzle together, but I can’t get them to fit.

From Literature

Instantly I’m on high alert, and I scramble to catch up.

From Literature

John A. Warden III aptly described in his 1991 essay “Applying Air Power in the 21st Century,” Desert Storm was history’s first example of what he called hyperwar—war that capitalized on high technology, unprecedented precision, strategic surprise through stealth, tactical surprise through defense suppression, and the “ability to bring all of an enemy’s key operational and strategic nodes under near-simultaneous attack.”

From The Wall Street Journal

There was clearly more pace to be had but given he hadn't done any running on high fuel before the race, Japan was a job well done.

From BBC

Related Words

• aerial
• atop
• skyward
• upward