ankle-deep
Americanadjective
-
high enough to reach or cover the ankles.
ankle-deep mud.
-
deeply involved or entangled.
He is ankle-deep in financial troubles.
adverb
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.
Jonathan took off his shoes and socks and waded in ankle-deep, curling his toes around the small stones that covered the lake bottom.
From Literature
It was as if the offense was ankle-deep in mud, a credit of course to New England’s swarming defense.
From Los Angeles Times
Holmes’ feed is a babbling stream of self-help epigrams, ankle-deep reflections and many, many photos of herself.
From Los Angeles Times
The company was fined more than $112,000 by Nevada’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in late 2023 after workers complained of “ankle-deep” water in the tunnels, muck spills and burns.
From Salon
Flooding was also reported on the Isles of Scilly, with St Mary's resident Samaya Reid saying her family had come home from a night out to find "ankle-deep water" on their road.
From BBC
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.
