higher

Syllables: high·erUK/ˈhaɪ.ə//ˈhaɪ.ɚ/

higher is the comparative form of high.

Verb

higher (third-person singular simple present highers, present participle highering, simple past and past participle highered)

(transitive) To make higher; to raise or increase in amount or quantity.
- It is a fact that other countries have not followed our example, nay, that they have in fact, in some cases, highered the duties upon the admission of our goods. But what has been the result of that policy upon the amount of your exports?1847, George Crosby, Crosby's Parliamentary Record
- I am glad also that my hon. friend the Minister of Finance had the firmness to oppose all these influences to make him change his policy, and I hope, for the good of the country and the blessing of the Dominion, that when any change takes place it will be in the direction of lowering rather than of...1903, Canada. Parliament. House of Commons, Official Report of the Debates, House of Commons
(intransitive) To ascend.

high (comparative higher, superlative highest)

Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty.
- The balloon rose high in the sky. The wall was high. a high mountain
Relatively elevated; rising or raised above the average or normal level from which elevation is measured.
- She was like a Beardsley Salome, he had said. And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry. His wooing had been brief but incisive.1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC
Of a ball, above the batter's shoulders.
- the pitch (or: the ball) was high
Pertaining to (or, especially of a language: spoken in) an area which is at a greater elevation, for example more mountainous, than other regions.
Having a specified elevation or height; tall.
- three feet high three Mount Everests high
Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
- The oldest of the elves' royal family still conversed in High Elvish.

higher (plural highers)

Noun
plural	highers
Verb
third-person singular present	highers
present participle	highering
past participle	highered
past	highered

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

What does higher mean?: Higher means a national school-leaving examination and university entrance qualification.
What is higher the comparative form of?: Higher is the comparative form of high.
What part of speech is higher?: Higher can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce higher?: Higher is pronounced /ˈhaɪ.ə/ (UK).
What is the plural of higher?: The plural of higher is highers.

Adapted from Wiktionary: higher (page history and authors); high (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-higher.ogg.

Cite this entry: “higher.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/higher. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.