high

 
Pronunciation: /hʌɪ/

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

Phrases

ace (or king or queen etc.) high

(in card games) having the ace (or another specified card) as the highest-ranking: he had a hearts flush, queen high

from on high

from remote high authority or heaven: central government programmes coming down from on high

high and dry

out of the water, especially stranded by the sea as it retreats: when the tide goes out, a lot of boats are left high and dry
without resources or help: your family would be left high and dry by the death of the breadwinner

high and low

in many different places: I searched high and low for a new teacher

high and mighty

informal behaving as though one is more important than others: he could punish her for being high and mighty

the high ground

a position of superiority (originally in military conflict): he wants the EC to take the moral high ground by agreeing to an environmental tax

a high old ——

[attributive] informal used for emphasis: a high old time of it we all had

high, wide, and handsome

informal expansive and impressive: the resort’s skiing is high, wide, and handsome
[from Arizona Nights by Stewart E. White (1873–1946), American author]

it is high time that ——

it is past the time when something should have happened or been done: it was high time that she faced facts

on high

in or to heaven or a high place: a spotter plane circling on high

on one's high horse

informal behaving in an arrogant or pompous manner: hell, boy, get down off your high horse

run high

(of a river) be close to overflowing, with a strong current: the river was running high with the rain
(of feelings) be intense: passions run high when marriages break up

Origin:

Old English hēah, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hoog and German hoch