5 ADJ If a food or other substance is high in a particular ingredient, it contains a large amount of that ingredient. □ [+ in ] Don't indulge in rich sauces, fried food and thick pastry as these are high in fat.
6 N‑COUNT If something reaches a high of a particular amount or degree, that is the greatest it has ever been. □ [+ of ] Traffic from Jordan to Iraq is down to a dozen loaded lorries a day, compared with a high of 200 a day. □ The price of oil reached an all-time high.
7 ADJ 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. □ [+ on ] Economic reform is high on the agenda.
8 ADJ [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. □ [+ in ] Was there anyone high in the administration who was an advocate of a different policy? □ …corruption in high places. ● PHRASE 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.
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.
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.
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.
17 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If someone is high on drink or drugs, they are affected by the alcoholic drink or drugs they have taken. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ on ] 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 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 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. [EMPHASIS ] □ Users also complain about how they have been left high and dry when web-based services fail.
21 PHRASE 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 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. [EMPHASIS ]
23 in high dudgeon → see dudgeon
24 come hell or high water → see hell
25 to be high time → see time COLLOCATIONS high NOUN
6
noun + high : career, season
adjective + high : all-time, new, record
verb + high : hit, reach, set
18
adjective + high : emotional, exhilarating, tremendous
verb + high : experience, get
-high /-ha I / COMB -high combines with words such as 'knee' or 'shoulder' to indicate that someone or something reaches as high as the point that is mentioned. □ The grass was knee-high.
hi gh and mi ghty 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. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ I think you're a bit too high and mighty yourself.
high|born /ha I bɔː r n/ also high-born ADJ If someone is highborn , their parents are members of the nobility. [OLD-FASHIONED ]
high|brow /ha I braʊ/ (highbrows )
1 ADJ If you say that a book or discussion is highbrow , you mean that it is intellectual, academic, and is often difficult to understand. □ He presents his own highbrow literary programme.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone as highbrow , you mean that they are interested in serious subjects of a very intellectual nature, especially when these are difficult to understand. □ Highbrow critics sniff that the programme was 'too sophisticated' to appeal to most viewers.
hi gh 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.