Meaning & use
the high road
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Meanings
nounsingularfigurative
A way of behaving that is morally better or more honest than the other available choice, especially in a disagreement.
Grammar: Usually used with 'take' or 'choose': take the high road. It appears with 'the' and rarely in the plural.
Patterns
- take the high road
- choose the high road
- take the high road in something
Instead of answering the insult, she took the high road and said nothing.
In politics it is hard to take the high road when your opponents attack you personally.
He decided to take the high road and admit his mistake rather than blame the team.
nouncountableBritish
A main road, especially one that is higher or more important than others; also used in place names.
Grammar: Countable and literal: the high road, the high roads. Often capitalized in street names.
Patterns
- on the high road
- the High Road
The old inn stands on the high road between the two towns.
We walked along the high road until we reached the bridge.
Common combinations
- take the high road
- She took the high road and refused to argue with him.
- the high road in an argument
- Taking the high road in an argument is not always easy.
- choose the high road
- The company chose the high road and told customers about the fault.
Synonyms and how they differ
- the moral high ground
- Very close in meaning, but 'the moral high ground' is more often used about groups and public debates than about one person's choice.
Opposites
Commonly confused: the high road or highway?
the high road vs highway
'Highway' is a literal road for fast traffic; 'the high road' is usually a figurative phrase about honest behavior.
Practice
What does it mean to 'take the high road' in a dispute?
Choose one answer.
'Take the high road' means choosing the more honest or morally better response. D is tempting, but the phrase is about how you behave, not about refusing to talk.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the high road”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.