waist-deep
Up to here
Waist-deep describes something reaching up to the waist, typically water or another substance one is standing in: We waded waist-deep into the lake.
It can describe depth from the other direction—how far something has submerged you: waist-deep in snow.
Figuratively, it suggests being thoroughly immersed: waist-deep in paperwork.
Traversing shallow water on foot
- submergedBelow water's surface
- floodedCovered with water
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
- streamSteady continuous flow
pond · lake · creek · marsh · swamp · current · sloshing · trudging
Completely swallowed up
- surroundedBounded on all sides
- envelopedFully enclosed around
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- swampedOverwhelmed beyond capacity
buried · mired · bogged · entrenched · plunged · sunk · depth · level
wading
Traversing shallow water on foot
stream · pond · lake · creek · marsh · swamp · current · sloshing · trudging · splashing
engulfed
Completely swallowed up
- surroundedBounded on all sides
- envelopedFully enclosed around
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
swamped · buried · mired · bogged · entrenched · plunged · sunk · depth · level · halfway
swamped
Overwhelmed beyond capacity
- drowningDeath by water inhalation
- buriedPlaced beneath earth
- overloadedBurdened past capacity
besieged · bombarded · overrun · inundated · flooded · paperwork · emails · debt · work · problems
inches
Small length units
- centimetersMetric length units
- heightVertical extent upward
- levelHorizontal or uniform position
depth · marking · gauge · ruler · tape · halfway · torso · midsection · navel · belly-button
waist-deepankle-deep
Submerged to the foot
overhead · over one's head · knee-deep · shallow · surface-level