high

1 of 3

adjective

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 combination
sky-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
also : malodorous
smelled rather high
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
b
: serious, grave
high crimes
c
: observed with the utmost solemnity
high religious observances
d
: critical, climactic
the high point of the novel
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
10
: forcible, strong
high winds
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

high

2 of 3

adverb

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

high

3 of 3

noun

1
: an elevated place or region: such as
a
: hill, knoll
b
: the space overhead : sky
usually used with on
birds wheeling on high
c
: heaven
usually used with on
wisdom from on high
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
Phrases
high on
: enthusiastically in approval or support of
party leaders high on a new candidate
Choose the Right Synonym for high

high, tall, lofty mean above the average in height.

high implies marked extension upward and is applied chiefly to things which rise from a base or foundation or are placed at a conspicuous height above a lower level.

a high hill
a high ceiling

tall applies to what grows or rises high by comparison with others of its kind and usually implies relative narrowness.

a tall thin man

lofty suggests great or imposing altitude.

lofty mountain peaks

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
Adjective
After falling behind the curve, the Fed began hoisting interest rates in the spring of 2022 and proceeded to hike rates to their highest levels in decades. Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 And profit expectations are now 1.4%, the highest level since early 2022. Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 Through the modern lens of WAR (wins above replacement), Clemente might have actually finished too high. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 March Madness 2024 Final Four hotel prices in Arizona are sky high. The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024 In a free agency market full of safeties, Simmons is arguably the highest level prospect available and could provide an immediate upgrade for any interested team. Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 That’s why Tal doesn’t recommend sleep trackers for people with high anxiety about their sleep habits. Kristen Fischer, Health, 12 Mar. 2024 Milwaukee's demand for housing remains high and several properties in the metro area hit the market for millions of dollars last month. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 The popular strip’s dining establishments (especially in the South Beach area) tend to be high on price and low on quality. Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 29 Feb. 2024
Adverb
Rats infesting the New Orleans Police Department headquarters are getting high off of marijuana from the evidence room, authorities said Monday. Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 We are often told that setting the bar high is key to success. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Really, though, season 3 belongs so high up for two sequences. Darren Franich, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Montoya also wants his team to press high up the pitch to create quick counter-attacking opportunities. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 Jodie Foster, the two-time Oscar-winning actress riding high off her performances in Nyad and True Detective: Night Country, will be honored with a hand and footprint ceremony during the TCM Classic Film Festival, it was announced Tuesday. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2024 One where someone can come in blasted high for years and then return the next day sober and clean, ensconcing themselves in the safety of the books to stay that way. Lisa Bubert, Longreads, 27 Feb. 2024 Carousel Taffy features an abundance of imitation whiskey barrels piled high with 70 yummy varieties. Jerry Rice, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Winds roared to speeds of 265 mph high over Washington late Saturday — at about 35,000 feet above ground, cruising altitude for airplanes — as a powerful jet stream swept over the region. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024
Noun
Price increases are down substantially from the 40-year highs reached in the summer of 2022, but inflation’s descent has been rocky so far this year. Bryan Mena, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The city’s distressed east and west ends remained more dangerous terrain, particularly at night, but violent crime rates were nowhere near the highs of the 1980s and ’90s. James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Lows in the upper 50s or low 60s, which is above average highs and near record values. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Since March 2022, the Fed has hiked its benchmark short-term rate from near zero to a 22-year high of 5% to 5.25% to corral inflation, though officials have paused since July. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 On Wall Street, the S&P 500 jumped 1.1% to top its all-time high set last week. Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024 Nationally, nearly 50,000 people died from suicide in 2022, an all-time high, according to estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 The views are even better outdoors, but bring plenty of layers—the average high is -6° Fahrenheit in January. Paul Rubio, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2024 And last year, authorities removed 1,443 guns from people on the state’s list, a four-year high, though less than half the peak in 2017 when officials seized 3,685 guns. John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Adverb, and Noun

Middle English, from Old English hēah; akin to Old High German hōh high, Lithuanian kaukaras hill

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of high was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near high

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

high

1 of 3 adjective
1
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 adverb
1
: at or to a high place, altitude, or degree
climbed high
2
: richly sense 1, luxuriously
living high

high

3 of 3 noun
1
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 adjective
1
: 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)

More from Merriam-Webster on high

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!