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Synonyms

knee-high

American  
[nee-hahy, nee-hahy] / ˈniˈhaɪ, ˈniˌhaɪ /

adjective

  1. as high as the knees.

noun

  1. knee-highs. Also knee highs, knee-hi's, knee his socks, stockings, or boots that cover the lower legs to just below the knees.

knee-high British  

adjective

  1. another word for knee-deep

  2. as high as the knee

    a knee-high child
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of knee-high

An Americanism dating back to 1735–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In Nyakach, in the west, children walked through knee-high water and residents scooped water from inundated houses -- though some were submerged up to the roof.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

Or the time when she appeared next to Belichick on the sidelines on game day wearing a reptile mini-skirt and knee-high boots.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

Dressed in a black leather dress and knee-high boots, she had this time prepared “Mack the Knife.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025

Swift took the stage in a black minidress and knee-high black boots.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2025

The front lawn was a field of knee-high weeds and thistles the size of small trees.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.