high

A plane high in the sky.

adjective

High is defined as something that is further up than normal, goes upward, is far above the ground, or is slang for being under the influence of drugs.

An example of high is the altitude of an airplane in the sky.
An example of high is the location of a toddler who has climbed a six foot ladder.
An example of high is a person who is under the influence of a strong pain medication he took an hour ago.

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"high." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/High>.

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high. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/High

high

of more than normal height; lofty; tall: not used of persons
extending upward a (specified) distance
situated far above the ground or some other level
reaching to or done from a height: a high jump, a high dive
1. above other persons or things in rank, position, strength, etc.; most important or powerful
2. above other persons or things in quality, character, etc.; superior; exalted; excellent
grave; very serious: high treason
greatly advanced or developed; complex: usually in the compar.: higher mathematics, the higher vertebrates
main; principal; chief: a high priest
greater in size, amount, degree, power, intensity, etc. than usual: high prices, high voltage, a high profile
advanced to its acme or fullness; fully reached: high summer
expensive; costly
luxurious and extravagant: high living
haughty; overbearing
designating or producing tones made by relatively fast vibrations; acute in pitch
slightly tainted; having a strong smell: said of meat, esp. game
extremely formal or rigid in matters of ceremony, doctrine, etc.
excited; elated: high spirits
far from the equator: a high latitude
designating or of that gear ratio of a motor vehicle transmission which produces the highest speed and the lowest torque
Informal
1. drunk; inebriated
2. under the influence of a drug
Phonet. articulated with the tongue held in a relatively elevated position in the mouth: said of certain vowels, as (?) in feet

Origin of high

Middle English heigh, hei, hie from Old English heah, akin to German hoch, Gothic hauhs from Indo-European an unverified form keuk- from base an unverified form keu-, to curve, arch from source Sanskrit kakúd-, peak, Russian ku?a, heap

in a high manner
in, at, to, or toward a high degree, level, place, position, etc.

a high degree, level, place, position, etc.
an area of high barometric pressure
that gear of a motor vehicle, etc. producing the greatest speed and the lowest torque
Informal a condition of euphoria induced as by drugs

high Idioms

high and dry

out of the reach of the water
alone and helpless; stranded

high and low

everywhere

high and mighty

Informal arrogant; haughty

high on

Informal enthusiastic about; very interested in or impressed by

on high

up in space; high above
(in) heaven

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"high." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/High>.

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high. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/High

high

adjective

high·er, high·est

a. Having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward: a high mountain; a high tower.
b. Extending a specified distance upward: a cabinet ten feet high.
Far or farther from a reference point: was too high in the offensive zone to take a shot.
a. Being at or near the peak or culminating stage: the high tourist season; high summer.
b. Advanced in development or complexity: high forms of animal life; higher mathematics.
c. Far removed in time; remote: high antiquity.
a. Slightly spoiled or tainted; gamy. Used of meat.
b. Having a bad smell; malodorous.
a. Having a pitch corresponding to a relatively large number of sound-wave cycles per second: the high tones of a flute.
b. Raised in pitch; not soft or hushed: a high voice.
Situated relatively far from the equator: a high latitude.
a. Of great importance: set a high priority on funding the housing program.
b. Eminent in rank or status: a high official.
c. Serious; grave: high crimes and misdemeanors.
d. Constituting a climax; crucial: The chase scene is the high point of the film.
e. Characterized by lofty or stirring events or themes: high adventure; high drama.
Lofty or exalted in quality or character: a person of high morals.
a. Greater than usual or expected, as in quantity, magnitude, cost, or degree: “A high price has to be paid for the happy marriage with the four healthy children” ( Doris Lessing )
b. Favorable: He has a high opinion of himself.
Of great force or violence: high winds.
a. Informal Excited or euphoric: high spirits.
b. Slang Intoxicated by alcohol or a drug, such as cocaine or marijuana.
Luxurious; extravagant: high living.
Linguistics Of or relating to vowels produced with part of the tongue close to the palate, as in the vowel of tree.
Of, relating to, or being the gear configuration or setting, as in an automotive transmission, that produces the greatest vehicular speed with respect to engine speed.

adverb

higher, highest

At, in, or to a lofty position, level, or degree: saw a plane high in the sky; prices that had gone too high.
In an extravagant or luxurious way: made a fortune and lived high.

noun

A lofty place or region.
A high level or degree: Summer temperatures reached an all-time high.
The high gear configuration of a transmission.
A center of high atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
a. Informal An excited or euphoric condition: The team was on a high after winning in overtime.
b. Slang An intoxicated or euphoric condition induced by alcohol or a drug.

Origin of high

Middle English from Old English hēah

Related Forms:

high′ly
adverb

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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"high." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/High>.

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high. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/High

Noun

(plural highs)

(obsolete) Thought; intention; determination; purpose.

Origin

From Middle English hiȝe, huȝe, huiȝe, huie, hige, from Old English hyġe (“thought, mind, heart, disposition, intention, courage, pride”), from Proto-Germanic *hugiz (“mind, sense”), of unknown origin. Cognate with North Frisian huwggje (“mind, sense”), Middle Low German höge, hoge (“thought, meaning, mood, happiness”), Middle High German hüge, huge, hoge (“mind, spirit, memory”), Danish hu (“mind”), Swedish håg (“mind, inclination”), Icelandic hugur (“mind”). Related to Hugh.

Adjective

(comparative higher, superlative highest)

Elevated in position or status; above many things.
The balloon rose high in the sky.
Tall, lofty, at a great distance above the ground (at high altitude).
(figuratively) Noble, especially of motives, intentions, etc.
(slang) Under the influence of a mood-affecting drug, especially marijuana, or (less common) alcohol.
Of a quantity or value, great or large.
My bank charges me a high interest rate.
(acoustics) Of greater frequency, i.e. with more rapid wave oscillations.
The note was too high for her to sing.
(of a body of water) With tall waves.
(of meat, especially venison) Strong-scented; slightly tainted/spoiled; beginning to decompose.
Epicures do not cook game before it is high.
The tailor liked his meat high.
Of great strength, force, importance, etc.; mighty; powerful; sometimes, triumphant; victorious; majestic, etc.
a high wind; high passions
Arrogant; lofty; boastful; proud.
Very abstract; difficult to comprehend or surmount.
(phonetics) Made with a high position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate.
Possessing a characteristic quality in a supreme or superior degree.
high (i.e. intense) heat; high (i.e. full or quite) noon; high (i.e. rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i.e. complete) pleasure; high (i.e. deep or vivid) colour; high (i.e. extensive, thorough) scholarship

Antonyms

Adverb

(comparative higher, superlative highest)

In or to an elevated position.
How high above land did you fly?
In or at a great value.
Costs have grown higher this year again.
In a pitch of great frequency.
I certainly can't sing that high.

Usage notes

The adverb high and the adverb highly shouldn't be confused.
He hung the picture high on the wall.
As a politician, he isn't esteemed too highly.

Noun

(plural highs)

A period of euphoria, from excitement or from an intake of drugs.
That pill gave me a high for a few hours, before I had a comedown.
A drug that gives such a high.
(informal) A large area of elevated atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
The maximum atmospheric temperature recorded at a particular location, especially during one 24-hour period.
An elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven.
(card games) The highest card dealt or drawn.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present highs, present participle highing, simple past and past participle highed)

(obsolete) To rise.
The sun higheth.

Origin

From Middle English high, heigh, heih, from Old English hēah (“high, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime, illustrious, important, proud, haughty, deep, right”), from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz (“high”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewk- (“to bend, curve, arch, vault”), a suffixed form of *kew-. Cognate with Scots heich (“high”), Eastern Frisian hag (“high”), West Frisian heech (“high”), Dutch hoog (“high”), Low German hog (“high”), German hoch (“high”), Swedish hög (“high”), Icelandic hár (“high”), Lithuanian kaukas (“bump, boil, sore”), Russian куча (kúcha, “pile, heap, stack, lump”).

Verb

(third-person singular simple present highs, present participle highing, simple past and past participle highed)

To hie; to hasten.

Origin

See hie.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"high." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/High>.

APA Style

high. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/High

high

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