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ankle-deep

American  
[ang-kuhl-deep] / ˈæŋ kəlˈdip /

adjective

  1. high enough to reach or cover the ankles.

    ankle-deep mud.

  2. deeply involved or entangled.

    He is ankle-deep in financial troubles.

adverb

  1. as high as the ankles.

    Rainwater ran ankle-deep.

Etymology

Origin of ankle-deep

First recorded in 1755–65

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.

Shopowner Chayaphol Promkleng thought at first that his business would be spared because flooding was "only ankle-deep".

From Barron's • Nov. 28, 2025

“You would need two, three guys to push your boat about three-fourths of a mile in ankle-deep water.”

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2024

Their home was surrounded by ankle-deep putrid water.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 30, 2023

Lewis Williams said she woke up to find ankle-deep water in her home on Sunday morning.

From BBC • Oct. 9, 2023

The guard assured him that the river was frozen, and that even if he broke through, the water was only ankle-deep.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

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.