altitude

altitude — noun

1. the distance that something — usually a plane, a mountain peak, or a piece of la

1.nounB2
Definition

the distance that something — usually a plane, a mountain peak, or a piece of land — sits above the level of the sea, often measured in feet or meters.

Example

The pilot announced that the plane was flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet.

at an altitude of [number] [units] for aircraft cruising height

Climbers often feel dizzy and short of breath at high altitudes.

collocation: at high altitudes for thin-air conditions

Common collocations
  • high altitude
  • low altitude
  • gain altitude
  • lose altitude
  • cruise altitude
  • maintain altitude
  • altitude sickness
  • at an altitude of
Synonyms
  • elevation

    very close in meaning; 'elevation' is preferred for fixed places on land, while 'altitude' is preferred for aircraft and weather

  • height

    more general; refers to how tall something is, not specifically distance above sea level

Antonyms
  • depth

    distance below a surface, especially below sea level or water

Grammar Patterns

at an altitude of [number] [units]

altitude of [number] feet/meters

Usage Note

Subject of 'altitude' is usually an aircraft, a mountain, or a place on land — not a person or an everyday object. Often paired with verbs of motion ('gain', 'lose', 'maintain', 'reach') and with the preposition 'at' rather than 'in'.

Common Mistakes

The bird flew in a high altitude.
The bird flew at a high altitude.
use 'at' with altitude, not 'in'.
My house is built on a 50-meter altitude.
My house is built at an altitude of 50 meters.
use the pattern 'at an altitude of [number] [units]'.

Word family

  • altimeter
    nounC1
  • altitudinal
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe how far something sits above a reference level, but they differ in what they describe and how technical they sound. 'Altitude' is the standard term for aircraft, balloons, and atmospheric conditions, and is also used for very high mountains. Pilots talk about cruising altitude; climbers talk about altitude sickness. 'Elevation' is preferred for fixed points on land — a town, a plateau, a hiking trail — and is the word you usually see on maps and road signs. 'Height' is the most everyday and general of the three; it can describe a person, a building, or a tree, and does not always imply a measurement above sea level. So a plane flies at an altitude of 30,000 feet, a village sits at an elevation of 1,200 meters, and a child measures her height against the wall.

altitude ↗elevation ↗height

Common collocations

Nouns

  • altitude sickness
  • cruise altitude
  • flight altitude
  • altitude record

Adverbs

  • extremely high
  • relatively low

Phrases

  • gain altitude
  • lose altitude
  • maintain altitude
  • reach an altitude of
  • at high altitude
  • at low altitude

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Altitude entered English in the late 1300s from Latin 'altitudo', meaning 'height' or 'depth', built from 'altus' ('high' or 'deep') plus a noun-forming ending. The same Latin root gave us 'altar', 'exalt', and 'altimeter'. Although the Latin word could mean either upward or downward distance, by the time it settled into English it referred mainly to upward distance, especially of stars and later of mountains and aircraft.