run high

Idioms  

1. Be intense, as in Feelings are running high on the issue of raising taxes. This expression, first recorded in 1711, transfers the strong currents or tides that make for high waves to human concerns.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

run high

Many places on the river in and around Guerneville shut down November through early May because it gets cold and rainy and the river can run high and fast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Giddy emotions run high and feel as if they will last forever.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026

Still, when the riot finally starts, the tensions run high.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

Worries over the fate of the site -- and what could happen -- run high.

From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025

Nevertheless, feeling against Frederick continued to run high.

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell