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
After a quick health check to make sure no injuries were sustained during the journey, the turtles, 33 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and one green sea turtle -- were walked out to knee-deep water by crew members, Overmeyer said.
—
Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
The school also is knee-deep in its provost search.
—The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2024
The woman was carried downstream the Los Angeles River in Studio City with waters, which were less than knee-deep, moving at about 15 mph on Sunday, March 24, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a series of alerts.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
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
Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
The school also is knee-deep in its provost search.
—The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2024
The woman was carried downstream the Los Angeles River in Studio City with waters, which were less than knee-deep, moving at about 15 mph on Sunday, March 24, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a series of alerts.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024
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
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 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
knee-deep
adjective-ˈdēp
: being up to one's knees
knee-deep in mud
knee-deep snowdrifts
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