High (adjective) — a long way above the ground or another surface; great in amount, level, or degree; above average.
High (adverb) — at or to a great distance above the ground or another level.
High (noun) — a high point, level, or record; a period of great happiness or success.
What Does High Mean?
High comes from the Old English word heah, meaning elevated or tall. It is one of the oldest and most frequent words in English, with relatives in most Germanic languages: Old Norse hár, Dutch hoog, and German hoch all share the same Proto-Germanic root *hauhaz. The word has been in continuous use since at least the 8th century.
As an adjective, high has two broad meanings. The first is spatial — a long way above a surface or the ground: a high shelf, high clouds, high altitude. The second is figurative — great in amount, level, or quality: high prices, high standards, high expectations. Both senses are extremely common in everyday and academic English.
As an adverb, high describes movement or position at a great height: The eagle soared high above the valley. Note that highly is a different adverb used with adjectives and past participles to mean "very" or "to a great degree": highly recommended, highly skilled. These two forms are not interchangeable.
As a noun, high refers to a peak level or record: an all-time high, a new high in sales. In informal British English it can also describe a feeling of elation or euphoria.
Example Sentences by Level
| Sentence | Level | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| The bird is flying high in the sky. | A2 | high as adverb — literal spatial height |
| The supermarket prices are very high this month. | B1 | high as adjective — amount or degree |
| She set a high standard for herself in all her written work. | B1 | high standard — very common collocation |
| Unemployment reached its highest level in over a decade last autumn. | B2 | superlative form in a formal/news context |
| The sustained high levels of particulate matter pose a significant risk to respiratory health. | C1 | high in academic/technical register with noun phrase |
Collocations
Knowing which words naturally go with high will make your English sound much more natural. Here are the most important collocations:
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| high standard | The school is known for its high standards of teaching. |
| high quality | We only use high-quality ingredients in our products. |
| high risk | Smoking is a high-risk factor for heart disease. |
| high price / high cost | The high cost of living in London surprises many newcomers. |
| high level | The negotiations were conducted at a high level. |
| high street | Many high street shops have closed since the pandemic. |
| high speed | The new high-speed rail link will cut journey times significantly. |
| high demand | Nurses are in high demand across the NHS. |
| high profile | It was a high-profile case that attracted widespread media attention. |
| all-time high | Share prices hit an all-time high last Tuesday. |
Usage Notes
High vs Tall vs Highly
High describes distance above the ground or level, or a great amount/degree. It is used for things not measured from base to top: a high ceiling, high altitude, high temperature.
Tall is used for people, trees, buildings, and other objects measured from base to top: a tall man, a tall building. Do not say a high man to mean someone of great physical stature.
Highly is the adverb used before adjectives and past participles to intensify meaning: highly recommended, highly unlikely, highly trained. It cannot replace high in literal spatial contexts — you cannot say The plane flew highly.
High street is a fixed British English expression for the main shopping street in a town. It is not a general collocation meaning "important street".
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
He is a very high man — over two metres tall.
He is a very tall man — over two metres tall. (Use tall for physical stature, not high.)
The government is highly concerned about the economic situation.
The government is highly concerned about the economic situation. — This is actually correct! (Highly before adjective = very.)
The plane flew highly over the mountains.
The plane flew high over the mountains. (Use high, not highly, for literal height.)
Prices are very highly in the capital.
Prices are very high in the capital. (High is the adjective; highly does not follow very as a predicate adjective here.)