knee-deep

adjective

ˈnē-ˈdēp 

1

a

: sunk to the knees

knee-deep in mud

b

: deeply engaged or occupied

knee-deep in work

2

: knee-high

Examples of knee-deep in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His walk to York Street — through often nearly knee-deep snow — took about 20 minutes, sometimes in the middle of the street, sometimes on the sidewalk. —Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026

Although many of us are still knee-deep in boot season, Bella Hadid proves there's more than one way to style spring's hottest denim trend. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 28 Feb. 2026

In the realm of Rocky Mountain resorts, none can rival Fernie Alpine Resort's knee-deep powder skiing in expansive bowls (Curry Bowl is my favorite) and the exhilarating experience of navigating snow-laden tree runs. —Jonny Bierman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026

Within a few hours, even the water at the ancient heart of the city stood less than knee-deep. —Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for knee-deep

• asleep
• upkeep
• beep
• cheap
• creep
• deep
• heap
• jeep
• keep
• leap
• peep
• reap

Kids Definition

knee-deep

adjective

-ˈdēp

: being up to one's knees

knee-deep in mud

knee-deep snowdrifts