haɪ adj., n., & adv. --adj. 1 a of
great vertical extent (a high building). b (predic.;
often in comb.) of a specified
height (one inch high;
water was waist-high). 2 a
far above ground or
sea level etc. (a high altitude). b
inland,
esp.
when raised (High Asia). 3 extending above
the normal or
average level (high
boots;
jersey with a high neck). 4 of exalted, esp.
spiritual,
quality (high minds; high principles; high art). 5 of exalted rank (in high
society; is high in the Government). 6 a great;
intense;
extreme;
powerful (high
praise; high temperature). b greater
than normal (high prices). c extreme in
religious or
political opinion (high Tory). 7 (of
physical action, esp. athletics) performed
at,
to, or
from a
considerable height (high diving; high flying). 8 colloq. (often foll. by on) intoxicated by
alcohol or esp. drugs. 9 (of a
sound or note) of high
frequency;
shrill; at the top
end of the scale. 10 (of a
period, an
age, a
time, etc.) at
its peak (high
noon; high summer; High Renaissance). 11 a (of meat)
beginning to go
bad;
off. b (of game) well-hung
and slightly decomposed. 12 Geog. (of latitude)
near the
North or
South Pole. 13 Phonet. (of a vowel) close (see
CLOSE(1) adj. 14). --n. 1 a high, or the highest, level or
figure. 2 an
area of high barometric
pressure; an
anticyclone. 3 sl. a euphoric drug-induced
state. 4 top
gear in a
motor vehicle. 5 US colloq. high school. 6 (the High)
Brit. colloq. a High
Street, esp.
that in Oxford. --adv. 1 far
up;
aloft (flew the flag high). 2 in or to a high
degree. 3 at a high
price. 4 (of a sound) at or to a high pitch (sang high). øace (or
King or
Queen etc.) high (in card games) having the
ace etc. as the highest-ranking card. from on high from
heaven or a high
place. High
Admiral etc. a
chief officer. high
altar the chief altar of a
church. high and
dry 1
out of the
current of events; stranded. 2 (of a ship) out of the water. high and low 1
everywhere (searched high and low). 2 (people) of
all conditions. high and
mighty 1 colloq.
arrogant. 2
archaic of exalted rank. high-born of
noble birth. high camp
sophisticated camp (cf. CAMP(2)). high card a card that outranks others, esp. the ace or a court-card. high
chair an infant's chair with long legs and a
tray,
for use at meals. High Church n. a
section of the Church of England emphasizing
ritual,
priestly authority, and sacraments. --adj. of or relating to
this section. High
Churchman (pl. -men) an
advocate of High Church principles. high-class of high quality. high
colour a flushed
complexion. high
command an
army commander-in-chief and associated staff. High
Commission an
embassy from
one Commonwealth country to
another. High
Commissioner the
head of
such an embassy. High
Court (also in England High Court of Justice) a
supreme court of
justice for
civil cases. high
day a
festal day. High
Dutch see DUTCH. high
enema an enema delivered
into the colon. higher
animal (or plant) an animal or
plant evolved to a high degree. higher court
Law a court that can
overrule the
decision of another. the higher
criticism see CRITICISM. higher
education education at
university etc., esp. to degree level. higher
mathematics advanced mathematics as
taught at university etc. higher-up colloq. a
person of higher rank. highest
common factor Math. the highest
number that can be divided
exactly into
each of
two or
more numbers. high
explosive an extremely explosive
substance used in shells, bombs, etc. high
fashion = HAUTE
COUTURE. high
fidelity the
reproduction of sound with
little distortion, giving a
result very similar to the
original. high
finance financial transactions involving
large sums. high-flown (of
language etc.)
extravagant, bombastic. high-flyer (or -flier) 1 an
ambitious person. 2 a person or
thing with great
potential for
achievement. high-flying reaching a great height; ambitious. high frequency a frequency, esp. in
radio, of 3 to 30
megahertz. high gear see GEAR. High
German see GERMAN. high-grade of high quality. high
hat 1 a
tall hat; a top hat. 2 foot-operated cymbals. 3 a snobbish or overbearing person. high-hat --adj.
supercilious; snobbish. --v. (-hatted, -hatting) US 1 tr.
treat superciliously. 2 intr.
assume a
superior attitude. high
holiday the
Jewish New Year or the Day of
Atonement. high jinks
boisterous joking or
merrymaking. high-jump 1 an
athletic event consisting of jumping as high as
possible over a bar of adjustable height. 2 colloq. a
drastic punishment (he's for the high-jump). high-key Photog. consisting of
light tones
only. high kick a dancer's kick high in the
air. high-level 1 (of negotiations etc.) conducted by high-ranking
people. 2 Computing (of a programming language) that is
not machine-dependent and is usu. at a level of
abstraction close to
natural language. high
life (or living) a
luxurious existence ascribed to the upper classes. high-lows archaic boots reaching over the ankles. high mass see
MASS(2). high-octane (of
petrol etc.) having
good antiknock properties. high
old colloq.
most enjoyable (had a high old time). high opinion of a
favourable opinion
of. high-pitched 1 (of a sound) high. 2 (of a roof) steep. 3 (of
style etc.)
lofty. high places the upper ranks of an
organization etc. high
point the
maximum or
best state reached. high
polymer a polymer having a high
molecular weight. high-powered 1 having great
power or
energy. 2
important or
influential. high pressure 1 a high degree of
activity or exertion. 2 a
condition of the
atmosphere with the pressure above average. high
priest 1 a chief priest, esp. Jewish. 2 the head of
any cult. high
profile exposure to
attention or
publicity. high-profile adj. (usu. attrib.) having a high profile. high-ranking of high rank,
senior. high
relief see RELIEF. high-rise 1 (of a building) having
many storeys. 2 such a
building. high-risk (usu. attrib.) involving or exposed to
danger (high-risk sports). high road 1 a main road. 2 (usu. foll. by to) a
direct route (on the high road to success). high
roller US sl. a person
who gambles large sums or spends freely. high school 1 Brit. a
grammar school. 2 US &
Sc. a
secondary school. high sea (or seas)
open seas not
within any country's
jurisdiction. high
season the period of the greatest number of visitors at a
resort etc. High
Sheriff see SHERIFF. high
sign US colloq. a
surreptitious gesture indicating that all is well or that the
coast is
clear. high-sounding
pretentious, bombastic. high-speed 1 operating at great
speed. 2 (of steel)
suitable for cutting-tools even when red-hot. high-spirited
vivacious;
cheerful. high-spiritedness = high spirits. high spirits vivacity; energy; cheerfulness. high
spot sl. an important place or
feature. high-stepper 1 a
horse that lifts its
feet high when
walking or
trotting. 2 a
stately person. High
Steward see STEWARD n. 6. high street Brit. a main road, esp. the
principal shopping street of a
town. high-strung = highly-strung. high
table a table on a
platform at a
public dinner or for the fellows of a
college. high
tea Brit. a main
evening meal usu. consisting of a cooked
dish,
bread and
butter, tea, etc. high
tech n. = high
technology. --adj. 1 (of
interior design etc.) imitating styles more
usual in
industry etc., esp. using
steel,
glass, or
plastic in a
functional way. 2 employing, requiring, or involved in high technology. high technology advanced
technological development, esp. in
electronics. high-tensile (of metal) having great
tensile strength. high
tension = high
voltage. high
tide the time or level of the tide at its
flow. high time a time that is
late or
overdue (it is high time
they arrived). high-toned
stylish;
dignified; superior. high
treason see TREASON. high-up colloq. a person of high rank. high voltage
electrical potential causing
some danger of
injury or
damage. high water 1 the tide at its fullest. 2 the time of this. high-water mark 1 the level reached at high water. 2 the maximum recorded
value or highest point of
excellence. high,
wide, and
handsome colloq. in a
carefree or stylish
manner. high
wire a high
tightrope. high words
angry talk. high
yellow US a person of
mixed race with a palish
skin. in high
feather see FEATHER. the Most High
God. on high in or to heaven or a high place. on one's high horse colloq. behaving superciliously or arrogantly.
play high 1 play for high stakes. 2 play a card of high value.
run high 1 (of the sea)
have a
strong current with high tide. 2 (of feelings) be strong. [OE heah f. Gmc]