high
♦♦♦ high /h'aɪ/ (higher highest highs)
1 [ADJ]
Something that is high extends a long way from the bottom to the top when it is upright. You do not use high to describe people, animals, or plants.
...a house, with a high wall all around it...
Mount Marcy is the highest mountain in the Adirondacks.
...high-heeled shoes...
The gate was too high for a man of his age to climb.
≠ low
[ADV] ADV after v
High is also an adverb.
...wagons packed high with bureaus, bedding, and cooking pots.
2 [ADJ] amount ADJ, n ADJ, how ADJ, as ADJ as, ADJ-compar than
You use high to talk or ask about how much something upright measures from the bottom to the top.
...an elegant bronze horse only nine inches high...
Measure your garage: how high is the door?
3 [ADJ] oft ADJ prep
If something is high, it is a long way above the ground, above sea level, or above a person or thing.
I looked down from the high window...
In Castel Molo, high above Taormina, you can sample the famous almond wine made there.
≠ low
[ADV] ADV after v
High is also an adverb.
...being able to run faster or jump higher than other people.
[PHRASE] oft PHR prep
If something is high up, it is a long way above the ground, above sea level, or above a person or thing.
We saw three birds circling very high up.
4 [ADJ]
You can use high to indicate that something is great in amount, degree, or intensity.
The European country with the highest birth rate is Ireland...
Official reports said casualties were high...
Commercialisation has given many sports a higher profile.
≠ low
[ADV] ADV after v
High is also an adverb.
He expects the unemployment figures to rise even higher in coming months.
[PHRASE]
You can use phrases such as `in the high 80s' to indicate that a number or level is, for example, more than 85 but not as much as 90.
≠ low
5 [ADJ] v-link ADJ in n
If a food or other substance is high in a particular ingredient, it contains a large amount of that ingredient.
Don't indulge in rich sauces, fried food and thick pastry as these are high in fat.
≠ low
6 [N-COUNT] oft N of amount
If something reaches a high of a particular amount or degree, that is the greatest it has ever been.
Traffic from Jordan to Iraq is down to a dozen loaded lorries a day, compared with a high of 200 a day...
Sales of Russian vodka have reached an all-time high.
≠ low
7 [ADJ] oft ADJ on n
If you say that something is a high priority or is high on your list, you mean that you consider it to be one of the most important things you have to do or deal with.
The Labour Party has not made the issue a high priority...
Economic reform is high on the agenda.
≠ low
8 [ADJ] v-link ADJ in n, ADJ n
Someone who is high in a particular profession or society, or has a high position, has a very important position and has great authority and influence.
Was there anyone particularly high in the administration who was an advocate of a different policy?...
...corruption in high places.
[PHRASE] oft PHR in n
Someone who is high up in a profession or society has a very important position.
His cousin is somebody quite high up in the navy...
9 [ADJ] ADJ n
You can use high to describe something that is advanced or complex.
Neither Anna nor I are interested in high finance.
10 [ADV] ADV after v
If you aim high, you try to obtain or to achieve the best that you can.
You should not be afraid to aim high in the quest for an improvement in your income...
11 [ADJ]
If someone has a high reputation, or people have a high opinion of them, people think they are very good in some way, for example at their work.
She has always had a high reputation for her excellent short stories...
People have such high expectations of you.
≠ low
12 [ADJ]
If the quality or standard of something is high, it is very good indeed.
His team were of the highest calibre...
13 [ADJ] usu ADJ n
If someone has high principles, they are morally good.
He was a man of the highest principles.
14 [ADJ]
A high sound or voice is close to the top of a particular range of notes.
Her high voice really irritated Maria.
≠ low
15 [ADJ]
When a river is high, it contains much more water than usual.
The waters of the Yangtze River are dangerously high for the time of year.
≠ low
16 [ADJ]
If your spirits are high, you feel happy and excited.
Her spirits were high with the hope of seeing Nick in minutes rather than hours.
≠ low
17 [ADJ] v-link ADJ, usu ADJ on n
If someone is high on drink or drugs, they are affected by the alcoholic drink or drugs they have taken. (INFORMAL)
He was too high on drugs and alcohol to remember them.
18 [N-COUNT]
A high is a feeling or mood of great excitement or happiness. (INFORMAL)
19 [PHRASE] usu from PHR
If you say that something came from on high, you mean that it came from a person or place of great authority.
Orders had come from on high that extra care was to be taken during this week.
20 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR
If you say that you were left high and dry, you are emphasizing that you were left in a difficult situation and were unable to do anything about it.
Schools with better reputations will be flooded with applications while poorer schools will be left high and dry.
21 [PHRASE] oft PHR of n
If you refer to the highs and lows of someone's life or career, you are referring to both the successful or happy times, and the unsuccessful or bad times.
22 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that you looked high and low for something, you are emphasizing that you looked for it in every place that you could think of.
23
in high dudgeon: see dudgeon
come hell or high water: see hell
to be high time: see timehigh and mighty
[ADJ]
If you describe someone as high and mighty, you disapprove of them because they consider themselves to be very important and are confident that they are always right.
I think you're a bit too high and mighty yourself.
= arroganthigh chair (high chairs)
also highchair
[N-COUNT]
A high chair is a chair with long legs for a small child to sit in while they are eating.high com|mand (high commands)
[N-COUNT-COLL] oft supp N
The high command is the group that consists of the most senior officers in a nation's armed forces.high ex|plo|sive (high explosives)
[N-VAR]
High explosive is an extremely powerful explosive substance.high five (high fives)
also high-five
[N-COUNT]
If you give someone a high five, you put your hand up and hit their open hand with yours, especially after a victory or as a greeting.high ground
1 [N-SING] the N, oft the adj N
If a person or organization has the high ground in an argument or dispute, that person or organization has an advantage. (JOURNALISM)
The President must seek to regain the high ground in the political debate...
2 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that someone has taken the moral high ground, you mean that they consider that their policies and actions are morally superior to the policies and actions of their rivals.
The Republicans took the moral high ground with the message that they were best equipped to manage the authority...high heels
[N-PLURAL]
You can refer to high-heeled shoes as high heels.high jinks
[N-UNCOUNT-COLL]
High jinks is lively, excited behaviour in which people do things for fun. (INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)high jump
[N-SING] usu the N
The high jump is an athletics event which involves jumping over a raised bar.high life
[N-SING] also no det
You use the high life to refer to an exciting and luxurious way of living that involves a great deal of entertainment, going to parties, and eating good food.
...the Hollywood high life...high mass
also High Mass
[N-UNCOUNT]
High mass is a church service held in a Catholic church in which there is more ceremony than in an ordinary mass.high noon
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
High noon means the same as noon. (LITERARY)
2 [N-UNCOUNT] usu with supp, oft N for/of n
Journalists sometimes use high noon to refer to a crisis or event which is likely to decide finally what is going to happen in a conflict or situation.
It looks like high noon for the nation's movie theaters, now we are in the age of the home video.high point (high points)
[N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft N of/in n
The high point of an event or period of time is the most exciting or enjoyable part of it.
The high point of this trip was a day at the races in Balgriffin.
= highlighthigh priest (high priests)
[N-COUNT] usu N of n
If you call a man the high priest of a particular thing, you are saying in a slightly mocking way that he is considered by people to be expert in that thing.
...the high priest of cheap periodical fiction.high priest|ess (high priestesses)
[N-COUNT] usu N of n
If you call a woman the high priestess of a particular thing, you are saying in a slightly mocking way that she is considered by people to be expert in that thing.
...the American high priestess of wit.high road
1 [N-COUNT] usu sing
A high road is a main road. (BRIT; in AM, use highway)
2 [N-SING] usu the N
If you say that someone is taking the high road in a situation, you mean that they are taking the most positive and careful course of action. (mainly AM)
US diplomats say the president is likely to take the high road in his statements about trade.high school (high schools)
1 [N-VAR; N-IN-NAMES]
In Britain, a high school is a school for children aged between eleven and eighteen.
...Sunderland High School.
2 [N-VAR; N-IN-NAMES]
In the United States, a high school is a school for children usually aged between fourteen and eighteen.
...an 18-year-old inner-city kid who dropped out of high school.high seas
[N-PLURAL] the N
The high seas is used to refer to the sea. (LITERARY)
...battles on the high seas.high sea|son
[N-SING] also no det
The high season is the time of year when a place has most tourists or visitors. (BRIT)
A typical high-season week in a chalet costs about £470.
≠ low seasonhigh so|ci|ety
[N-UNCOUNT]
You can use high society to refer to people who come from rich and important families.high spot (high spots)
[N-COUNT] oft N of n
The high spot of an event or activity is the most exciting or enjoyable part of it.
Rough weather would have denied us a landing on the island, for me the high spot of the entire cruise.
= highlighthigh street (high streets)
1 [N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES]
The high street of a town is the main street where most of the shops and banks are. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use Main Street)
2 [ADJ] ADJ n
High street banks and businesses are companies which have branches in the main shopping areas of most towns. (mainly BRIT)
The scanners are available from high street stores.high sum|mer
[N-UNCOUNT]
High summer is the middle of summer.high tea (high teas)
[N-VAR]
In Britain, some people have a meal called high tea in the late afternoon instead of having dinner or supper later in the evening. (OLD-FASHIONED)high tech|nol|ogy
[N-UNCOUNT]
High technology is the practical use of advanced scientific research and knowledge, especially in relation to electronics and computers, and the development of new advanced machines and equipment.high tide
[N-UNCOUNT]
At the coast, high tide is the time when the sea is at its highest level because the tide is in.
≠ low tidehigh trea|son
[N-UNCOUNT]
High treason is a very serious crime which involves putting your country or its head of state in danger.high wa|ter
[N-UNCOUNT]
High water is the time at which the water in a river or sea is at its highest level as a result of the tide.
Fishing is possible for a couple of hours either side of high water.
come hell or high water: see hell
= high tidehigh wire (high wires)
also high-wire
1 [N-COUNT]
A high wire is a length of rope or wire stretched tight high above the ground and used for balancing acts.
= tightrope
2 [N-SING] oft N n
Journalists talk about a person being on a high wire or performing a high-wire act when he or she is dealing with a situation in which it would be easy to do the wrong thing.
This year's Budget looks set to be a precarious high-wire act for the Chancellor.jun|ior high (junior highs)
[N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES]
In the United States, junior high is the school that young people attend between the ages of 11 or 12 and 14 or 15.
...Benjamin Franklin Junior High.
1 [ADJ]
Something that is high extends a long way from the bottom to the top when it is upright. You do not use high to describe people, animals, or plants.
...a house, with a high wall all around it...
Mount Marcy is the highest mountain in the Adirondacks.
...high-heeled shoes...
The gate was too high for a man of his age to climb.
≠ low
[ADV] ADV after v
High is also an adverb.
...wagons packed high with bureaus, bedding, and cooking pots.
2 [ADJ] amount ADJ, n ADJ, how ADJ, as ADJ as, ADJ-compar than
You use high to talk or ask about how much something upright measures from the bottom to the top.
...an elegant bronze horse only nine inches high...
Measure your garage: how high is the door?
3 [ADJ] oft ADJ prep
If something is high, it is a long way above the ground, above sea level, or above a person or thing.
I looked down from the high window...
In Castel Molo, high above Taormina, you can sample the famous almond wine made there.
≠ low
[ADV] ADV after v
High is also an adverb.
...being able to run faster or jump higher than other people.
[PHRASE] oft PHR prep
If something is high up, it is a long way above the ground, above sea level, or above a person or thing.
We saw three birds circling very high up.
4 [ADJ]
You can use high to indicate that something is great in amount, degree, or intensity.
The European country with the highest birth rate is Ireland...
Official reports said casualties were high...
Commercialisation has given many sports a higher profile.
≠ low
[ADV] ADV after v
High is also an adverb.
He expects the unemployment figures to rise even higher in coming months.
[PHRASE]
You can use phrases such as `in the high 80s' to indicate that a number or level is, for example, more than 85 but not as much as 90.
≠ low
5 [ADJ] v-link ADJ in n
If a food or other substance is high in a particular ingredient, it contains a large amount of that ingredient.
Don't indulge in rich sauces, fried food and thick pastry as these are high in fat.
≠ low
6 [N-COUNT] oft N of amount
If something reaches a high of a particular amount or degree, that is the greatest it has ever been.
Traffic from Jordan to Iraq is down to a dozen loaded lorries a day, compared with a high of 200 a day...
Sales of Russian vodka have reached an all-time high.
≠ low
7 [ADJ] oft ADJ on n
If you say that something is a high priority or is high on your list, you mean that you consider it to be one of the most important things you have to do or deal with.
The Labour Party has not made the issue a high priority...
Economic reform is high on the agenda.
≠ low
8 [ADJ] v-link ADJ in n, ADJ n
Someone who is high in a particular profession or society, or has a high position, has a very important position and has great authority and influence.
Was there anyone particularly high in the administration who was an advocate of a different policy?...
...corruption in high places.
[PHRASE] oft PHR in n
Someone who is high up in a profession or society has a very important position.
His cousin is somebody quite high up in the navy...
9 [ADJ] ADJ n
You can use high to describe something that is advanced or complex.
Neither Anna nor I are interested in high finance.
10 [ADV] ADV after v
If you aim high, you try to obtain or to achieve the best that you can.
You should not be afraid to aim high in the quest for an improvement in your income...
11 [ADJ]
If someone has a high reputation, or people have a high opinion of them, people think they are very good in some way, for example at their work.
She has always had a high reputation for her excellent short stories...
People have such high expectations of you.
≠ low
12 [ADJ]
If the quality or standard of something is high, it is very good indeed.
His team were of the highest calibre...
13 [ADJ] usu ADJ n
If someone has high principles, they are morally good.
He was a man of the highest principles.
14 [ADJ]
A high sound or voice is close to the top of a particular range of notes.
Her high voice really irritated Maria.
≠ low
15 [ADJ]
When a river is high, it contains much more water than usual.
The waters of the Yangtze River are dangerously high for the time of year.
≠ low
16 [ADJ]
If your spirits are high, you feel happy and excited.
Her spirits were high with the hope of seeing Nick in minutes rather than hours.
≠ low
17 [ADJ] v-link ADJ, usu ADJ on n
If someone is high on drink or drugs, they are affected by the alcoholic drink or drugs they have taken. (INFORMAL)
He was too high on drugs and alcohol to remember them.
18 [N-COUNT]
A high is a feeling or mood of great excitement or happiness. (INFORMAL)
19 [PHRASE] usu from PHR
If you say that something came from on high, you mean that it came from a person or place of great authority.
Orders had come from on high that extra care was to be taken during this week.
20 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR
If you say that you were left high and dry, you are emphasizing that you were left in a difficult situation and were unable to do anything about it.
Schools with better reputations will be flooded with applications while poorer schools will be left high and dry.
21 [PHRASE] oft PHR of n
If you refer to the highs and lows of someone's life or career, you are referring to both the successful or happy times, and the unsuccessful or bad times.
22 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that you looked high and low for something, you are emphasizing that you looked for it in every place that you could think of.
23
in high dudgeon: see dudgeon
come hell or high water: see hell
to be high time: see timehigh and mighty
[ADJ]
If you describe someone as high and mighty, you disapprove of them because they consider themselves to be very important and are confident that they are always right.
I think you're a bit too high and mighty yourself.
= arroganthigh chair (high chairs)
also highchair
[N-COUNT]
A high chair is a chair with long legs for a small child to sit in while they are eating.high com|mand (high commands)
[N-COUNT-COLL] oft supp N
The high command is the group that consists of the most senior officers in a nation's armed forces.high ex|plo|sive (high explosives)
[N-VAR]
High explosive is an extremely powerful explosive substance.high five (high fives)
also high-five
[N-COUNT]
If you give someone a high five, you put your hand up and hit their open hand with yours, especially after a victory or as a greeting.high ground
1 [N-SING] the N, oft the adj N
If a person or organization has the high ground in an argument or dispute, that person or organization has an advantage. (JOURNALISM)
The President must seek to regain the high ground in the political debate...
2 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that someone has taken the moral high ground, you mean that they consider that their policies and actions are morally superior to the policies and actions of their rivals.
The Republicans took the moral high ground with the message that they were best equipped to manage the authority...high heels
[N-PLURAL]
You can refer to high-heeled shoes as high heels.high jinks
[N-UNCOUNT-COLL]
High jinks is lively, excited behaviour in which people do things for fun. (INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)high jump
[N-SING] usu the N
The high jump is an athletics event which involves jumping over a raised bar.high life
[N-SING] also no det
You use the high life to refer to an exciting and luxurious way of living that involves a great deal of entertainment, going to parties, and eating good food.
...the Hollywood high life...high mass
also High Mass
[N-UNCOUNT]
High mass is a church service held in a Catholic church in which there is more ceremony than in an ordinary mass.high noon
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
High noon means the same as noon. (LITERARY)
2 [N-UNCOUNT] usu with supp, oft N for/of n
Journalists sometimes use high noon to refer to a crisis or event which is likely to decide finally what is going to happen in a conflict or situation.
It looks like high noon for the nation's movie theaters, now we are in the age of the home video.high point (high points)
[N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft N of/in n
The high point of an event or period of time is the most exciting or enjoyable part of it.
The high point of this trip was a day at the races in Balgriffin.
= highlighthigh priest (high priests)
[N-COUNT] usu N of n
If you call a man the high priest of a particular thing, you are saying in a slightly mocking way that he is considered by people to be expert in that thing.
...the high priest of cheap periodical fiction.high priest|ess (high priestesses)
[N-COUNT] usu N of n
If you call a woman the high priestess of a particular thing, you are saying in a slightly mocking way that she is considered by people to be expert in that thing.
...the American high priestess of wit.high road
1 [N-COUNT] usu sing
A high road is a main road. (BRIT; in AM, use highway)
2 [N-SING] usu the N
If you say that someone is taking the high road in a situation, you mean that they are taking the most positive and careful course of action. (mainly AM)
US diplomats say the president is likely to take the high road in his statements about trade.high school (high schools)
1 [N-VAR; N-IN-NAMES]
In Britain, a high school is a school for children aged between eleven and eighteen.
...Sunderland High School.
2 [N-VAR; N-IN-NAMES]
In the United States, a high school is a school for children usually aged between fourteen and eighteen.
...an 18-year-old inner-city kid who dropped out of high school.high seas
[N-PLURAL] the N
The high seas is used to refer to the sea. (LITERARY)
...battles on the high seas.high sea|son
[N-SING] also no det
The high season is the time of year when a place has most tourists or visitors. (BRIT)
A typical high-season week in a chalet costs about £470.
≠ low seasonhigh so|ci|ety
[N-UNCOUNT]
You can use high society to refer to people who come from rich and important families.high spot (high spots)
[N-COUNT] oft N of n
The high spot of an event or activity is the most exciting or enjoyable part of it.
Rough weather would have denied us a landing on the island, for me the high spot of the entire cruise.
= highlighthigh street (high streets)
1 [N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES]
The high street of a town is the main street where most of the shops and banks are. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use Main Street)
2 [ADJ] ADJ n
High street banks and businesses are companies which have branches in the main shopping areas of most towns. (mainly BRIT)
The scanners are available from high street stores.high sum|mer
[N-UNCOUNT]
High summer is the middle of summer.high tea (high teas)
[N-VAR]
In Britain, some people have a meal called high tea in the late afternoon instead of having dinner or supper later in the evening. (OLD-FASHIONED)high tech|nol|ogy
[N-UNCOUNT]
High technology is the practical use of advanced scientific research and knowledge, especially in relation to electronics and computers, and the development of new advanced machines and equipment.high tide
[N-UNCOUNT]
At the coast, high tide is the time when the sea is at its highest level because the tide is in.
≠ low tidehigh trea|son
[N-UNCOUNT]
High treason is a very serious crime which involves putting your country or its head of state in danger.high wa|ter
[N-UNCOUNT]
High water is the time at which the water in a river or sea is at its highest level as a result of the tide.
Fishing is possible for a couple of hours either side of high water.
come hell or high water: see hell
= high tidehigh wire (high wires)
also high-wire
1 [N-COUNT]
A high wire is a length of rope or wire stretched tight high above the ground and used for balancing acts.
= tightrope
2 [N-SING] oft N n
Journalists talk about a person being on a high wire or performing a high-wire act when he or she is dealing with a situation in which it would be easy to do the wrong thing.
This year's Budget looks set to be a precarious high-wire act for the Chancellor.jun|ior high (junior highs)
[N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES]
In the United States, junior high is the school that young people attend between the ages of 11 or 12 and 14 or 15.
...Benjamin Franklin Junior High.