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Glite Dictionary
to chase the high

to chase the high

9.3
To keep trying to feel the same excitement you felt the first time, often by taking risks or using drugs
  • phrasal verb
  • NSFW
translation icon : buscar la euforia
  • People struggling with addiction often find themselves chasing the high that the first use gave them.

Examples

  • No matter how successful she became, she was always chasing the high of her early days of fame.

  • After his first experience with skydiving, he kept chasing the high with more extreme sports.

  • He decided to chase the high once again.

  • Why do people chase the high so recklessly?

  • After his first experience with skydiving, he kept chasing the high with more extreme sports.

  • People struggling with addiction often find themselves chasing the high that the first use gave them.

  • No matter how successful she became, she was always chasing the high of her early days of fame.

Antonyms

to settle down
173 3.0

To start living a quiet, steady life by having a regular job or a family

How Exciting

to chase the high
  • NSFW
9.3
to take risks
56 3.2
to enjoy
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

chase the high infinitive
chased the high past
chased the high past participle
chasing the high present participle
chases the high third person singular

Morphology

chase + the + high

The meaning is directly built from 'chase' (to pursue) and 'the high' (a euphoric state): literally to pursue that feeling, so the intended sense of repeatedly seeking intense pleasure is inferable. This verb + noun composition is a common, predictable pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

The phrase chase the high comes from the image of someone trying to catch the first strong high, the sudden exciting 'feeling' people get from drugs or a dangerous thrill. So, it means 'to keep trying to get that same strong feeling', often by repeating risky or addictive behavior.