1
a
: rising or extending upward a great distance : taller than average, usual, or expected
a high wall
a high fly ball
b
: having a specified height or elevation : tall
six feet high
—often used in combinationsky-high
waist-high
c
: situated or passing above the normal level, surface, base of measurement, or elevation
the high desert
2
a(1)
: advanced toward the acme or culmination
high summer
(2)
: advanced toward the most active or culminating period
on the Riviera during high season
(3)
: constituting the late, most fully developed, or most creative stage or period
high Gothic
(4)
: advanced in complexity, development, or elaboration
the higher primates including humans
higher mathematics
b
: verging on lateness
—usually used in the phrase high time
It's high time he won an award.
c
: long past : remote
high antiquity
3
: elevated in pitch (see pitch entry 4 sense 4b(1))
a high note
4
: relatively far from the equator
high latitude
5
: rich in quality : luxurious
high living
6
: slightly tainted or spoiled
high game meat
7
: exalted or elevated in character : noble
high purposes
8
: of greater degree, amount, cost, value, or content than average, usual, or expected
high prices
high temperatures
high blood pressure
traveling at a high rate of speed
unemployment was high
9
: of relatively great importance: such as
a
: foremost in rank, dignity, or standing
high officials
c
: observed with the utmost solemnity
high religious observances
e
: intellectually or artistically of the first order or best quality
high culture
f
: marked by sublime, heroic, or stirring events or subject matter
high tragedy
a tale of high adventure
11
: stressing matters of doctrine and ceremony
specifically
: high church
12
a
: filled with or expressing great joy or excitement
high spirits
b
: intoxicated by or as if by a drug or alcohol
high on cocaine
13
: articulated or pronounced with some part of the tongue close to the palate
a high vowel
1
: at or to a high place, altitude, level, or degree
climbed higher
passions ran high
2
: well, luxuriously
—often used in the phrases high off the hog and high on the hog
1
2
: a region where the pressure of the atmosphere is greater than normal : a region of high barometric pressure
a high moving out to the east
called also anticyclone
3
a
: a point or level of greater amount, number, or degree than average or expected : a high point or level
sales reached a new high
mostly sunny with highs in the 80s
the highs and lows of her career
b
: the transmission gear of a vehicle (such as an automobile) giving the greatest speed of travel
put it into high
4
a
: an excited, euphoric, or stupefied state produced by or as if by a drug
produces a high that lasts several hours
coming down from the high of their wedding day
b
: a state of elation or high spirits
the high of victory
Examples of high in a Sentence
Adjective
The apartment has high ceilings.
The airplane was high above the clouds.
The bush is six feet high.
a building 100 stories high
They have a home in the high country.
The houses are built on high ground.
They reached speeds as high as 100 mph.
He's being treated for high blood pressure.
She earns a high salary.
His books are in high demand.
Adverb
The painter climbed high on the ladder.
The hawks were circling high in the air.
The letters were stacked high on the table.
buy low and sell high
Noun
Oil prices reached a new high last winter.
The forecast is for showers with highs in the 70s.
The high only lasted a few minutes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Serenah McKay, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2025
The global economy has for months been roiled by a tit-for-tat of mounting tariffs, export controls and other penalties hitting areas from high-tech goods to high-seas shipping, as the US and China have vacillated between escalation and negotiation.
—Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
The artificial intelligence boom is keeping spirits high on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2025
In May, Kavan Markwood fell over the railing atop the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall and onto the field at PNC Park late in a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs.
—CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for high
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
This was caused mainly by lower retail fuel margins that were partially offset by higher sales volumes.
—Serenah McKay, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2025
The global economy has for months been roiled by a tit-for-tat of mounting tariffs, export controls and other penalties hitting areas from high-tech goods to high-seas shipping, as the US and China have vacillated between escalation and negotiation.
—Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Adverb
Those who took a quick peek inside the front window saw walls lined with bookcases and young, Black men strewn about in old, thrifted armchairs, their laps piled high with books.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
The artificial intelligence boom is keeping spirits high on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
On Monday stateside, the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite closed at record highs, as did Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s Kospi during Asian trading hours.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2025
In May, Kavan Markwood fell over the railing atop the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall and onto the field at PNC Park late in a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs.
—CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for high
Cite this Entry
“High.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
high
1 of 3 adjective1
a
: extending to a great distance upward : having greater height than average or usual
rooms with high ceilings
b
: having a specified elevation
six feet high
2
: advanced toward fullness
high summer
3
: shrill entry 2, sharp
high note
4
: far from the equator
high latitude
5
: noble entry 1 sense 5
a writer of high purpose
6
: of greater degree, size, amount, or content than average or ordinary
high pressure
high power of a microscope
7
: of relatively great importance: as
a
: first in rank or standing
high society
b
: serious sense 4, grave
high crimes
8
: strong sense 7
high winds
9
a
: showing joy or excitement
high spirits
b
: drunk entry 2 sense 1
also
: affected or impaired by or as if by a drug
10
: advanced or complex in structure or development
higher mathematics
higher fungi
high
2 of 3 adverb1
: at or to a high place, altitude, or degree
climbed high
2
: richly sense 1, luxuriously
living high
high
3 of 3 noun1
b
: sky sense 1
watched the birds on high
c
: heaven sense 2
a judgment from on high
2
: a region of high barometric pressure : anticyclone
3
a
: a high point or level : height
prices reached a new high
b
: the arrangement of gears (as in an automobile) that gives the highest speed and consequently the highest speed of travel
4
: a state of good feeling, excitement, or intoxication produced by or as if by a drug
Medical Definition
high
1 of 2 adjective1
: having a complex organization : greatly differentiated or developed phylogenetically
—usually used in the comparative degree of advanced types of plants and animals
the higher algae
the higher apes
compare low
2
a
: exhibiting elation or euphoric excitement
a high patient
b
: being intoxicated
also
: excited or stupefied by or as if by a drug (as marijuana or heroin)
high
2 of 2 noun
: an excited, euphoric, or stupefied state
especially
: one produced by or as if by a drug (as heroin)
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