height S2 W3 /haɪt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ height , heights; verb : ↑ heighten ; adjective : heightened]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: hiehthu ]
1 . HOW TALL [uncountable and countable] how tall someone or something is:
Sam’s about the same height as his sister now.
State your age, height, and weight.
buildings of different heights
six feet/ten metres etc in height
None of these sculptures was less than three metres in height.
a height of six feet/ten metres etc
Sunflowers can grow to a height of 15 feet.
2 . DISTANCE ABOVE THE GROUND [uncountable and countable] the distance something is above the ground:
It’s a miracle she didn’t break her neck falling from that height.
a height of 2,500 feet/10,000 metres etc
The aircraft was flying at a height of 10,000 metres.
gain/lose height (=move higher or lower in the sky)
The plane was rapidly losing height.
3 . HIGH PLACE
a) [countable] a place or position that is a long way above the ground
from a height
a bird that opens shellfish by dropping them from a height onto rocks
Rachel had always been scared of heights.
have a head for heights (=not be afraid of heights)
b) heights [plural] a particular high place – used especially in place names:
the Golan Heights
4 . new/great/dizzy etc heights
a) a very high level of achievement or success
rise to/reach etc ... heights
He reached the dizzy heights of the national finals.
They took ice dancing to new heights.
b) a very great level or degree:
War fever had reached new heights.
5 . the height of something the busiest or most extreme part of a period or activity SYN peak :
the height of the tourist season
6 . be at the height of your success/fame/powers etc to be more successful, famous etc than at any other time:
The Beatles were at the height of their fame.
7 . be the height of fashion/stupidity/luxury etc to be extremely fashionable, stupid etc:
Flared trousers were considered to be the height of fashion in those days.