Word
high
Phoneticshigh
US/ˈhaɪ/
UK/hˈaɪ/
Definition
n. measuring a long distance from the bottom to the top. You use this to describe mountains, buildings, or things that are far above the ground.
n. extending a great distance upward; situated at a significant height above a baseline or sea level.
Examples
“The mountain is very high and covered in snow.”
“The hikers reached a high point on the trail that offered a clear view of the valley below.”
“Architects designed the skyscraper with a reinforced core to withstand the high winds that occur at such extreme altitudes.”
Examples
simple
“The mountain is very high and covered in snow.”
contextual
“The hikers reached a high point on the trail that offered a clear view of the valley below.”
complex
“Architects designed the skyscraper with a reinforced core to withstand the high winds that occur at such extreme altitudes.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “high” in context.
Usage
Typically placed before the noun it modifies or after a linking verb like 'be'.
Pitfall
He is very high
He is very tall
Use 'tall' for the height of people, trees, or narrow buildings; use 'high' for things that are far off the ground or have great vertical extent like mountains.
Confusables
High describes physical elevation or a point on a scale, while highly functions as an intensifier meaning 'to a great degree'.
RememberHigh is for height; highly is for how much.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADVERB
Related words
Idioms
03. get high
06. high and dry
07. high and low
08. high and mighty
09. high cotton
10. high ground
Show all 28
11. high horse
12. high life
13. high noon
14. high on the hog
16. high road
17. high strangeness
18. high summer
19. high time
22. leave someone high and dry
24. ride high
25. run high
The word in film
Poster: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ride the High Country · 1962 · Western
- Directed by:
- Sam Peckinpah
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, Mariette Hartley
Sam Peckinpah directs this elegiac Western following two weathered frontier marshals protecting a mining shipment. The title contrasts the high elevation of the remote mountain plateaus with the unyielding moral integrity the veteran lawmen strive to maintain.
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
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