high

adjective

• 1of great vertical extent:the top of a high mountain
• (after a measurement and in questions) measuring a specified distance from top to bottom:a tree forty feet high
• far above ground, sea level, or another point of reference:a palace high up on a hill
• extending above the normal level:a round face with a high forehead
• [attributive] (of an area) inland and well above sea level:high prairies
• [attributive] performed at, to, or from a considerable height:high diving
• (of latitude) close to 90°; near the North or South Pole: high southern latitudes

• 2great, or greater than normal, in quantity, size, or intensity:a high temperature sweets are very high in calories
• of large numerical or monetary value:they had been playing for high stakes
• very favourable:she had no very high opinion of men
• extreme in religious or political views:a man of high Tory opinions
• (of a period or movement) at its peak:high summer

• 3great in rank, status, or importance:both held high office under Lloyd George financial security is high on your list of priorities
• ranking above others of the same kind:the last High King of Ireland
• morally or culturally superior:blurring the distinctions between high art and popular art

• 4(of a sound or note) having a frequency at the upper end of the auditory range:a high, squeaky voice
• (of a singer or instrument) producing notes of relatively high pitch: a high soprano voice

• 5 [predic.] informal feeling euphoric, especially from the effects of drugs or alcohol:she wasn’t tipsy, just a little high some of them were high on Ecstasy

• 6 [predic.] (especially of food) unpleasantly strong-smelling because beginning to go bad: it’s a type of preserved butter, used for cooking, smells a little high
• (of game) slightly decomposed and so ready to cook.

• 7 Phonetics (of a vowel) produced with the tongue relatively near the palate.

noun

• 1a high point, level, or figure:commodity prices were at a rare high
• a high-frequency sound or musical note: piercing highs and subterranean lows
• a high power setting:the vent blower was on high
• an area of high barometric pressure; an anticyclone.

• 2a notably happy or successful moment:the highs and lows of life
• [usually in singular] informal a state of high spirits or euphoria:if the stable is doing well then everybody’s on a high

• 3 informal, chiefly North American high school:I go to junior high

• 4top gear in a motor vehicle: the system lets you shift into 4WD high

adverb

• 1at or to a considerable or specified height:the sculpture stood about five feet high a dish piled high with baked beans

• 2highly:he ranked high among the pioneers of chemical technology
• at a high price:buying shares low and selling them high

• 3(of a sound) at or to a high pitch: my voice went high with excitement