Definition of height in English:

noun

• 1The measurement of someone or something from head to foot or from base to top.

  ‘columns rising to 65 feet in height’

  ‘he was of medium height’

  More example sentences

  • ‘She was average in height, about five foot five at most, though she was no less beautiful for this.’
  • ‘The dead man was aged between 25 and 45, was five feet ten in height, weighed ten-and-a-half stones and had dark brown wavy hair.’
  • ‘The stone is about twelve feet in height and four in breadth with the hole near the top.’
  • ‘Battling with dance partners measuring 12 to 15 feet in height, if she steps on their toes, as opposed to a polite shove, Tracy has several tonnes of water landing on her.’
  • ‘The core drills measured nearly three feet in height and were found with several hammers and saws.’
  • ‘One stone approximately a foot in width and length and half a foot in height was thrown to the opposite side of the road around 20 metres away.’
  • ‘The police described the man as white, in his early twenties, of average build and five foot eight in height.’
  • ‘Conor is five foot six inches in height and he is of medium build and has short brown hair.’
  • ‘This vessel measures 8.2 cm in height and has a volume of only 200 ml.’
  • ‘When building homes, dusky-footed wood rats heap sticks into protective piles that may reach several feet in height and width.’
  • ‘This hardy evergreen has glossy, leathery fronds and gradually will reach 3 feet or more in height and width.’
  • ‘It stood some seven feet in height and was the size of a bull.’
  • ‘Around the courtyard were trees that stood fifteen feet in height set an exact distance apart from each other.’
  • ‘Each pole measured about 30 feet in height according to Chuck.’
  • ‘The collection ranges in size from the miniature to those over five feet in height.’
  • ‘The palace is a façade, which is fifty feet in height and a mere one-foot in width.’
  • ‘The frail and stunted tribesmen averaged only about five feet in height and were neither typically Chinese nor Tibetan.’
  • ‘The fence was discussed in detail but the developers have the right to make minor alterations without applying for planning permission, and putting up a fence, as long as it is less than six feet in height, is one of them.’
  • ‘Police described the man as Asian, of about five feet seven inches in height, about 30-years-old, wearing beige combat trousers and a white T-shirt.’
  • ‘Under five feet in height, maybe German or Swiss, an ordinary looking man about 20-25 years, he walked with a pronounced limp.’

  1. 1.1Elevation above ground or a recognized level (typically sea level)
     ‘the glider is gaining height’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Climate is in turn controlled not only by latitude but also by height above sea level.’
     • ‘Consider, first, a fairly crude altimeter, a device used for measuring altitude or height above sea level.’
     • ‘It is a long way, and the average height above sea level is more than 2000 metres.’
     • ‘In 1962, tidal levels reached 3.01m above ordnance data level, the height above sea level.’
     • ‘The music is after all not trying to tell us something factual, like the population or the height above sea level, which would lose its value if we did not know which city it referred to.’
     • ‘Atmospheric pressure varies depending on the height above sea level.’
     • ‘However, due to the presence of stilt roots, samples were not collected at the base of the tree, but at 130 cm height above ground level.’
     • ‘Its height above water level gives Mike, the captain, a perfect vantage point from which to scan the water for dorsal fins breaking the surface.’
     • ‘However, if the dam lacks adequate width or height above water level, a problem may develop.’
     • ‘The law of conservation of energy tells us that a boulder at rest on the edge of a cliff has potential energy in an amount equal to the amount of work it took to raise the boulder to that height from ground level.’
     • ‘Safety concerns limited its height above the ground and other features.’
     • ‘He hung the bundle from an overhanging branch of a sycamore, where it dangled lazily at head height above the ground.’
     • ‘She was just in time to see the plane lift from the ground, slowly gaining height, tipping and turning so that she feared it would flip over.’
     • ‘I took off as normal, concentrated on getting the glider established above hill top height before attempting to get into the pedals.’
     • ‘They will be spending the next seven months training for the trip, which will see them trekking for up to 12 hours a day and climbing to a height of 4,200 metres above sea level.’
     • ‘For gravel pads, we estimated thickness of gravel (i.e., its height above surrounding tundra).’
     • ‘A compressed gas system allows the mast to be extended to a maximum height of 10 metres above ground level, providing a clear, wide view of a traffic scene.’
     • ‘Shading on the display as well as grid lines on the ground give the pilot a sense of movement in flight and height above terrain.’
     • ‘If you want to be independent, go to any promontory, headland or peninsula that has deep water close inshore and allows you to stand on a cliff a good height above water level.’
     • ‘The entire apparatus was elevated to a height of 50 cm above the floor level.’
     Synonyms

     highness, tallness, loftiness, distance upwards, extent upwards, vertical measurement, elevation, stature, altitude, distance above the ground

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  2. 1.2The quality of being tall or high.
     ‘her height marked her out from other women’
     More example sentences

     • ‘The most significant outcome is weakening of the skeleton leading to fractures, loss of height, impaired quality of life and even death.’
     • ‘I always stipulate: stand tall, use your height.’
     • ‘I'm not very tall, but what height I do have is mostly legs.’
     • ‘The straps of his backpack braced his shoulders, making him seem even taller than his considerable height.’
     • ‘She noticed that she also created the impression of being taller than her actual height…’
     • ‘You want the material to be at least the full height of the tallest person in your home who's likely to take cover behind it.’
     • ‘The genetic trawl will not be looking for physical characteristics, such as colouring or height, but at particular genes that were thought to be common in Vikings.’
     • ‘It's height grows taller and it's muscles grow bigger.’
     • ‘He was tall about my height or taller with long blonde hair and dark green eyes.’
     • ‘Michael was at his full height again, taller than Jessica.’
     • ‘All of this is compounded if you're my height or taller.’
     • ‘He was a tremendous two handed puncher who could box and dictate with his jab and knew how to utilize his height and reach versus taller and shorter opponents.’
     • ‘The word invokes the vertical dimension of an entity; specifically, an entity is tall if its height exceeds by some unspecified amount the norm for that kind of entity.’
     • ‘And keep in mind that with our long growing season, mature height is often taller than what's printed on the plant tag.’
     • ‘She drew herself up to her full height, standing tall and proudly.’
     • ‘She was tall, nearly my height, and very thin, but she carried herself with an unrestrained grace that appealed to me.’
     • ‘At approximately 45 ft, the tail height was nearly as tall as the first four floors of the building.’
     • ‘They were of similar height, both tall and dark-haired, both wearing baseball caps and blue jeans.’
     • ‘He was tall, that was for sure - at least a head taller than the standard height in the community.’
     • ‘Mow when the grass blades are about one-third taller than the recommended height.’
  3. 1.3count noun A high place or position.
     ‘he's terrified of heights’
     More example sentences

     • ‘A mum-of-two is planning a daring jump out of a plane - despite being terrified of heights.’
     • ‘They split into three units, posted themselves on heights overlooking the trail.’
     • ‘With some stunts requiring her to withstand six times the force of gravity, her fear of heights was soon forgotten.’
     • ‘Marian has also indirectly experienced two accidents involving heights, adding to her phobia.’
     • ‘They perform a mixture of ballet and acrobatics at vertiginous heights.’
     • ‘Now I'm afraid of heights so this was quite the adventure but my motto is if it's got to be done, it's got to be done.’
     • ‘My daughter is beginning to not show any fear of heights or dark places.’
     • ‘A little over a year ago, I faced the biggest fear that I have to face on a regular basis: heights.’
     • ‘Wendy isn't afraid of heights but was made a little nervous by Mark's antics and kept a firm hold of the kid.’
     • ‘Almost half of all deaths in construction last year involved falls from heights.’
     • ‘Ten minutes of B.A.S.E. jumping might not be for people lacking a head for heights.’
     • ‘This was when we discover that my dear friend, trusted driver and car owner had a fear for heights.’
     • ‘It hasn't exactly cured my fear of heights but it has relieved it a bit.’
     • ‘Sue, 45, a technical advisor, is scared of heights but said that the abseil was worth it.’
     • ‘As a non-driver and non-swimmer with a terrible head for heights, I am quite big on fear.’
     Synonyms

     high places, sheer drops, steep inclines, high ground, steep ground

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• 2in singular The point or period at which something is at its best or strongest.

  ‘the height of the tourist season’

  heights ‘they took consumerism to new heights’

  More example sentences

  • ‘By 1998, he was the most popular British prime minister in recorded history, still at the height of his honeymoon period.’
  • ‘She was at the height of the initial period of her career and once more every single song on the album is alive.’
  • ‘Ostensibly, the theme of the exhibit was the effect of colonialism on Africa, particularly at the height of the colonial period.’
  • ‘Check-in staff and baggage handlers walked out at the height of the peak Summer season, as schools started breaking up for the holidays, over a dispute on new working practices.’
  • ‘And small wonder that, at times, the queue to cross the border by car looks like a major UK city at the height of the evening rush hour.’
  • ‘Just look at these pictures from last night at the height of the hurricane.’
  • ‘Even at the height of midday, all of the restaurants were boarded up, all of the stores were boarded up.’
  • ‘Power went off across a large part of York city centre at the height of last night's rush hour, bringing chaos as traffic lights failed.’
  • ‘Mr Smith slept on the premises for two nights at the height of the flooding, having food ferried in by boat.’
  • ‘Could showgoers be reasonably expected to attend a trade show in these dangerous times, especially at the height of the year-end holiday season?’
  • ‘Rather it's expected to elevate us to great heights over the next couple of weeks.’
  • ‘They elevate the usual twisting evasiveness of politicians to new heights.’
  • ‘Pop bands started to come up and some such bands grew to scale new heights in the music world.’
  • ‘They're taking intellectual property protection to ridiculous new heights.’
  • ‘It's supposed to be an African grand project taking the continent to greater heights.’
  • ‘Alienation has surely reached new heights when it can be sold as entertainment.’
  • ‘The event reached heights that it had never previously dreamed of, never mind reached.’
  • ‘She now smiles with satisfaction as she looks back on a whirlwind two months that took her to new heights.’
  • ‘He said the presence of the gallery across the road from the new parliament could spur it to new heights of art appreciation.’
  • ‘His ability to write scripts at once funny and sad has lifted him to heights occupied by very few of his peers.’
  • ‘At the height of the boom it would have achieved around €12,500 more.’
  • ‘At the height of its popularity, 350,000 visitors poured through the doors every year.’

  Synonyms

  high point, highest point, crowning moment, culminating point, peak, acme, apotheosis, zenith, apogee, pinnacle, climax, culmination, consummation, high water mark

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  1. 2.1An extreme example of something.
     ‘it would be the height of bad manners not to attend the wedding’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Are they, for example, the height of London street fashion?’
     • ‘A lady of the utmost integrity, Celia commanded the height of regard and respect throughout the region.’
     • ‘From the height of urban iniquity we move to the ultimate city stillness.’
     • ‘It has become apparent that sending her to that country would be the ultimate height of hilarity.’
     • ‘The ultimate height of absurdity was that he ended up entertaining the man for breakfast!’
     • ‘For Powell to try and lecture on democracy is the height of hypocrisy.’
     Synonyms

     epitome, acme, zenith, quintessence, limit, very limit, culmination, ultimate, utmost

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