highball

1 of 2

noun

high·​ball ˈhī-ˌbȯl 

1

: an iced drink containing liquor (such as whiskey) and water or a carbonated beverage (such as ginger ale) and served in a tall glass

2

: a railroad signal for a train to proceed at full speed

highball

2 of 2

verb

highballed; highballing; highballs

intransitive verb

: to go at full or high speed

a highballing express train

Synonyms

Verb

• barrel
• belt
• blast
• blaze
• blow
• bolt
• bomb [slang]
• bowl
• breeze
• bundle
• bustle
• buzz
• cannonball
• careen
• career
• chase
• course
• crack (on)
• dash
• drive
• fly
• hare
• hasten
• hie
• hotfoot (it)
• hump
• hurl
• hurry
• hurtle
• hustle
• jet
• jump
• motor
• nip
• pelt
• race
• ram
• rip
• rocket
• run
• rush
• rustle
• scoot
• scurry
• scuttle
• shoot
• speed
• step
• tear
• travel
• trot
• whirl
• whisk
• zip
• zoom

Examples of highball in a Sentence

Verb

trying to make up for lost time, the train just highballed through the station without stopping

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some, like the paloma with housemade grapefruit soda and a choice of mezcal, tequila or Chacho, and the Lemongrass Mule, where vodka or gin are paired with a house lemongrass syrup and ginger beer, are easy-sipping highballs for clubbing. —Fritz Hahn, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

Layne admitted to drinking a half-dozen highballs, but in December was acquitted by a jury after 24 minutes of deliberation. —Tim Kiska, Detroit Free Press, 25 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1911, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

highball

noun

high·​ball

ˈhī-ˌbȯl

: a drink of alcoholic liquor with water or a carbonated beverage served in a tall glass