1
a
: sunk to the knees
knee-deep in mud
b
: deeply engaged or occupied
knee-deep in work
2

Examples of knee-deep in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One or two inches of snow isn’t enough, but knee-deep snow will properly protect the seedlings during the most precarious time in a tree’s life. Matt Simon, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024 The elephants eventually ambled away into the bush and then the guides pushed us, gondola-style, into knee-deep, three-foot-wide channels lined by Papyrus reeds. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2024 Her district includes Lafayette, where the Indiana Economic Development Corporation plans to withdraw up to 100 million gallons of water a day to feed the LEAP District near Lebanon, so she's been knee-deep in residents' concerns about accountability. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 The previous December, Bernie Madoff had been arrested and charged with the biggest financial crime in U.S. history–a $64 billion Ponzi scheme–and Barbara’s husband Jeffry was knee-deep in the mess. Kerry A. Dolan, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 By the following year, Venezuela was knee-deep in a banking crisis and the Torre de David was never completed. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024 Indulging in their family pastime, the Macleans find reprieve from their troubles and tragedies while knee-deep in the Blackfoot River. Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023 On most summer days, the biggest danger comes from stingrays that bury themselves just beneath the sand in knee-deep water near shore. Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024 Miraculously, the dog survived the harrowing ordeal, but not before the Leach’s tracked the lion through knee-deep snow and fired multiple warning shots at the large predator. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 1 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knee-deep.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of knee-deep was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near knee-deep

Cite this Entry

“Knee-deep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knee-deep. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

knee-deep

adjective
-ˈdēp
: being up to one's knees
knee-deep in mud
knee-deep snowdrifts

More from Merriam-Webster on knee-deep

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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