High Definition and Meaning
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Published on March 21, 2024
High refers to a great vertical extent, distance above the ground or a base level, or a state of elevated position or rank. e.g., The mountain is very high.
Table of Contents
High Definitions
Referring to the most severe or critical point.
The discussion reached a high point during the debate.
Exceeding the usual level; elevated.
The river's water level was high after the rainfall.
At or to a considerable degree or intensity.
The stakes in the game were very high.
Relating to the advanced stage or level.
He works in high technology.
Of a high quality or standard.
She only buys high-quality ingredients for her cooking.
Relating to a position of authority or prominence.
She holds a high position in the company.
Feeling euphoria, often due to drug use.
The medication made him feel unusually high.
Referring to a period of prosperity or peak condition.
The country's economy was at an all-time high.
Of great vertical extent; tall.
The tree grew so high it reached the power lines.
Of sound, having a frequency at the upper end of the auditory range.
The note was so high only the children could hear it.
Having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward
A high mountain.
A high tower.
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.
Being at or near the peak or culminating stage
The high tourist season.
High summer.
Advanced in development or complexity
High forms of animal life.
Higher mathematics.
Far removed in time; remote
High antiquity.
Slightly spoiled or tainted; gamy. Used of meat.
Having a bad smell; malodorous.
Having a pitch corresponding to a relatively large number of sound-wave cycles per second
The high tones of a flute.
Raised in pitch; not soft or hushed
A high voice.
Situated relatively far from the equator
A high latitude.
Of great importance
Set a high priority on funding the housing program.
Eminent in rank or status
A high official.
Serious; grave
High crimes and misdemeanors.
Constituting a climax; crucial
The chase scene is the high point of the film.
Characterized by lofty or stirring events or themes
High adventure.
High drama.
Lofty or exalted in quality or character
A person of high morals.
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).
Favorable
He has a high opinion of himself.
Of great force or violence
High winds.
(Informal) Excited or euphoric
High spirits.
(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.
At, in, or to a lofty position, level, or degree
Saw a plane flying high in the sky.
Prices that had gone too high.
In an extravagant or luxurious way
Made a fortune and lived high.
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.
(Informal) An excited or euphoric condition
The team was on a high after winning in overtime.
(Slang) An intoxicated or euphoric condition induced by alcohol or a drug.
Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty.
The balloon rose high in the sky.
The wall was high.
A high mountain
Relatively elevated; rising or raised above the average or normal level from which elevation is measured.
Above the batter's shoulders.
The pitch (or: the ball) was high
Pertaining to (or, especially of a language: spoken in) in an area which is at a greater elevation, for example more mountainous, than other regions.
Having a specified elevation or height; tall.
Three feet high
Three Mount Everests high
Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
The oldest of the elves' royal family still conversed in High Elvish.
Most exalted; foremost.
The high priest, the high officials of the court, the high altar
Of great importance and consequence: grave (if negative) or solemn (if positive).
High crimes, the high festival of the sun
Consummate; advanced (e.g. in development) to the utmost extent or culmination, or possessing a quality in its supreme degree, at its zenith.
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; high tide; high [tourism] season; the High Middle Ages
Advanced in complexity (and hence potentially abstract and/or difficult to comprehend).
(in several set phrases) Very traditionalist and conservative, especially in favoring older ways of doing things; see e.g. high church, High Tory.
Elevated in mood; marked by great merriment, excitement, etc.
In high spirits
(of a lifestyle) Luxurious; rich.
High living, the high life
Lofty, often to the point of arrogant, haughty, boastful, proud.
A high tone
(with "on" or "about") Keen, enthused.
With tall waves.
Remote (to the north or south) from the equator; situated at (or constituting) a latitude which is expressed by a large number.
High latitude, fish species in high arctic and antarctic areas
Large, great (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
My bank charges me a high interest rate.
I was running a high temperature and had high cholesterol.
High voltage
High prices
High winds
A high number
Having a large or comparatively larger concentration of (a substance, which is often but not always linked by "in" when predicative).
Carrots are high in vitamin A.
Made from a high-copper alloy
(acoustics) Acute or shrill in pitch, due to being of greater frequency, i.e. produced by more rapid vibrations (wave oscillations).
The note was too high for her to sing.
(phonetics) Made with some part of the tongue positioned high in the mouth, relatively close to the palate.
(card games) Greater in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc.
(poker) Having the highest rank in a straight, flush or straight flush.
I have KT742 of the same suit. In other words, a K-high flush.
9-high straight = 98765 unsuited
Royal Flush = AKQJT suited = A-high straight flush
(of a card or hand) Winning; able to take a trick, win a round, etc.
North's hand was high. East was in trouble.
Strong-scented; slightly tainted/spoiled; beginning to decompose.
Epicures do not cook game before it is high.
The tailor liked his meat high.
(informal) intoxicated; under the influence of a mood-altering drug, formerly usually alcohol, but now (from the mid-20th century) usually not alcohol but rather marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc.
Near, in its direction of travel, to the (direction of the) wind.
Positioned up the field, towards the opposing team's goal.
Our defensive line is too high.
In or to an elevated position.
How high above land did you fly?
The desks were piled high with magazines.
In or at a great value.
Costs have grown higher this year again.
At a pitch of great frequency.
I certainly can't sing that high.
A high point or position, literally (as, an elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven).or figuratively (as, a point of success or achievement; a time when things are at their best, greatest, most numerous, maximum, etc).
It was one of the highs of his career.
Inflation reached a ten-year high.
The maximum atmospheric temperature recorded at a particular location, especially during one 24-hour period.
Today's high was 32 °C.
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.
A large area of elevated atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
A large high is centred on the Azores.
(card games) The highest card dealt or drawn.
(obsolete) Thought; intention; determination; purpose.
(obsolete) To rise.
The sun higheth.
To hie; to hasten.
To hie.
Men must high them apace, and make haste.
To rise; as, the sun higheth.
Elevated above any starting point of measurement, as a line, or surface; having altitude; lifted up; raised or extended in the direction of the zenith; lofty; tall; as, a high mountain, tower, tree; the sun is high.
Regarded as raised up or elevated; distinguished; remarkable; conspicuous; superior; - used indefinitely or relatively, and often in figurative senses, which are understood from the connection
Elevated in character or quality, whether moral or intellectual; preëminent; honorable; as, high aims, or motives.
Possessing a characteristic quality in a supreme or superior degree; as, 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) color; high (i. e., extensive, thorough) scholarship, etc.
High time it is this war now ended were.
High sauces and spices are fetched from the Indies.
Exalted in social standing or general estimation, or in rank, reputation, office, and the like; dignified; as, she was welcomed in the highest circles.
He was a wight of high renown.
Strong-scented; slightly tainted; as, epicures do not cook game before it is high.
Of noble birth; illustrious; as, of high family.
Acute or sharp; - opposed to grave or low; as, a high note.
Of great strength, force, importance, and the like; strong; mighty; powerful; violent; sometimes, triumphant; victorious; majestic, etc.; as, a high wind; high passions.
Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Can heavenly minds such high resentment show?
Made with a high position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate, as ē (ēve), Ō (fŌd). See Guide to Pronunciation, 10, 11.
Very abstract; difficult to comprehend or surmount; grand; noble.
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Plain living and high thinking are no more.
Costly; dear in price; extravagant; as, to hold goods at a high price.
If they must be good at so high a rate, they know they may be safe at a cheaper.
Arrogant; lofty; boastful; proud; ostentatious; - used in a bad sense.
An high look and a proud heart . . . is sin.
His forces, after all the high discourses, amounted really but to eighteen hundred foot.
In a high manner; in a high place; to a great altitude; to a great degree; largely; in a superior manner; eminently; powerfully.
An elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven.
People of rank or high station; as, high and low.
The highest card dealt or drawn.
The dayspring from on high hath visited us.
A lofty level or position or degree;
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high
An air mass of higher than normal pressure;
The east coast benefits from a Bermuda high
A state of sustained elation;
I'm on a permanent high these days
A state of altered consciousness induced by alcohol or narcotics;
They took drugs to get a high on
A high place;
They stood on high and observed the coutryside
He doesn't like heights
A public secondary school usually including grades 9 through 12;
He goes to the neighborhood highschool
A forward gear with a gear ratio giving high vehicle velocity for a given engine speed
Greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount;
A high temperature
A high price
The high point of his career
High risks
Has high hopes
The river is high
He has a high opinion of himself
(literal meanings) being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension (sometimes used in combinations like `knee-high');
A high mountain
High ceilings
High buildings
A high forehead
A high incline
A foot high
Standing above others in quality or position;
People in high places
The high priest
Eminent members of the community
Used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency
Happy and excited and energetic
Used of the smell of game beginning to taint
Slightly and pleasantly intoxicated from alcohol or a drug (especially marijuana)
At a great altitude;
He climbed high on the ladder
In or to a high position, amount, or degree;
Prices have gone up far too high
In a rich manner;
He lives high
Far up toward the source;
He lives high up the river
High Snonyms
Steep
Rising or falling sharply; nearly perpendicular.
The steep hill was challenging for cyclists.
Tall
Of great or more than average height.
The tall building dominated the skyline.
Elevated
Situated or placed higher than the surrounding area.
The elevated platform provided a good view of the parade.
Lofty
Of imposing height.
The lofty mountains were covered with snow.
Peak
The pointed top of a mountain or the highest level or degree.
She reached the peak of her career in her forties.
Eminent
(Used figuratively for non-physical contexts) High in rank, reputation, or importance.
An eminent scholar will give the keynote speech.
Sky-high
Extremely high or exorbitant.
The skyscraper's prices were sky-high.
Soaring
Flying or rising high in the air.
The eagle was soaring above the clouds.
Uplifted
Raised up; elevated.
The uplifting music made everyone feel more positive.
Elevate
To raise to a more important or impressive level.
The actor's career was elevated after his latest film.
High Idioms & Phrases
High on the hog
Living in luxury or extravagantly.
Since he got that job, he's been living high on the hog.
High time
The latest possible moment; something that should have already happened.
It's high time we started taking this issue seriously.
On a high
Feeling euphoric or very happy.
She's been on a high since passing her exams.
High as a kite
Under the influence of drugs or alcohol to a great extent.
After the party, he was as high as a kite.
High and dry
Left without help or in a difficult situation.
The sudden cancellation of the project left them high and dry.
Come hell or high water
No matter what difficulties arise.
He promised to be there, come hell or high water.
Ride high
To be very successful or confident.
The company is riding high after launching its new product.
A high flyer
A person who is ambitious and successful.
He's a high flyer in the finance industry.
A high note
Ending something in a successful or positive way.
The concert ended on a high note with a spectacular finale.
High-octane
Very powerful or energetic.
The debate was fueled by high-octane rhetoric.
In high gear
Working at full capacity or speed.
With the deadline approaching, the team kicked into high gear.
High and mighty
Arrogantly superior and disdainful.
She acts all high and mighty since getting promoted.
High roller
Someone who spends or gambles large amounts of money.
The casino caters to high rollers with exclusive offers.
High seas
The open ocean, especially outside of any country's territorial jurisdiction.
The pirates were captured on the high seas.
Hit a high note
To achieve a significant success.
The new product launch hit a high note for the company.
High-flying
Very ambitious or successful.
The high-flying lawyer aimed for political office.
The high road
Taking the ethical or moral course of action.
Despite the insults, she took the high road and didn't retaliate.
High-handed
Using power or authority without considering others' feelings.
The manager's high-handed approach caused discontent among staff.
At an all-time high
Higher than ever before.
Consumer confidence is at an all-time high.
Sky-high
Extremely high.
The prices at that boutique are sky-high.
High Example Sentences
She achieved high marks on her exams.
The kite flew as high as the clouds.
The singer hit an impressively high note.
The high winds caused damage to the roofs.
The athlete jumped high over the bar.
The demand for the product reached a new high.
The meeting addressed high-priority issues.
The sculpture stood ten feet high.
They were in high spirits at the party.
The stock market reached a new high yesterday.
The fever brought his temperature to a high level.
The high seas made the boat trip challenging.
The city is known for its high cost of living.
He has a high metabolism.
The team's performance was at its high point during the championship.
Common Curiosities
How is high used in a sentence?
The prices are too high for average consumers.
How do we divide high into syllables?
High is a single syllable word and cannot be divided further.
What is a stressed syllable in high?
The entire word "high" is stressed, as it consists of only one syllable.
What is the root word of high?
The root of "high" is the Old English "heah" or "hēah," which means lofty or elevated.
Why is it called high?
It is called "high" from the Old English "heah" or "hēah," meaning of great vertical extent, lofty, or elevated, reflecting its various uses to denote elevation, intensity, or quality.
Is high a noun or adjective?
"High" is primarily an adjective and can be used as an adverb.
What is the verb form of high?
"High" itself is primarily used as an adjective or adverb. There isn't a direct verb form of "high," but related verbs like "heighten" (to make higher) are used to convey similar actions.
What is the pronunciation of high?
High is pronounced as /haɪ/.
Which conjunction is used with high?
Conjunctions such as "and," "but," and "or" can be used in sentences containing "high." e.g., high and dry.
How many syllables are in high?
There is one syllable in "high."
What is another term for high?
Another term for "high" is "elevated."
What is the singular form of high?
"High" does not have a singular or plural form; it is an adjective.
What is the plural form of high?
As an adjective, "high" does not have a plural form.
What is the opposite of high?
The opposite of "high" is "low."
What part of speech is high?
"High" is an adjective and can also be used as an adverb in certain contexts.
Which determiner is used with high?
Determiners such as "a," "the," or "this" can be used with "high" when it describes a noun. e.g., a high level.
Which vowel is used before high?
The use of vowels before "high" depends on the specific sentence structure, not applicable.
Which preposition is used with high?
Prepositions like "on," "at," and "in" can be used with "high" depending on the context. e.g., high in the sky.
Is high an abstract noun?
"High" is not a noun; it is an adjective and an adverb. Therefore, it does not have an abstract form.
Is high a vowel or consonant?
The word "high" starts with a consonant.
Is high a countable noun?
"High" is not a noun; it is an adjective and does not have a countable form.
Is the word high Gerund?
"High" is not a verb, so it does not have a gerund form.
Is the word “high” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
Being an adjective or adverb, "high" does not serve as a direct or indirect object; those roles are filled by nouns.
Which article is used with high?
Articles like "a" or "the" can be used with "high" when it describes a noun. e.g., a high temperature.
Is high a negative or positive word?
"High" is neutral; its positive or negative connotation depends on the context in which it is used.
Is high an adverb?
Yes, "high" can be used as an adverb in certain contexts, e.g., The ball flew high.
Is high a collective noun?
No, "high" is not a collective noun.
Is the word high imperative?
As an adjective or adverb, "high" cannot form an imperative mood; this applies to verbs.
Is the high term a metaphor?
"High" can be used metaphorically, especially in phrases like "high hopes" or "high standards."
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
