a natural elevation of the earth's surface, smaller than a mountain.
an incline, especially in a road.
This old jalopy won't make it up the next hill.
an artificial heap, pile, or mound.
a hill made by ants.
a small mound of earth raised about a cultivated plant or a cluster of such plants.
the plant or plants so surrounded.
a hill of potatoes.
Baseball. mound.
the Hill. Capitol Hill.
to surround with hills.
to hill potatoes.
to form into a hill or heap.
go over the hill,
to break out of prison.
to absent oneself without leave from one's military unit.
to leave suddenly or mysteriously.
Rumor has it that her husband has gone over the hill.
over the hill,
relatively advanced in age.
past one's prime.
Ambrose Powell 1825–65, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.
Archibald Vivian 1886–1977, English physiologist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1922.
James Jerome, 1838–1916, U.S. railroad builder and financier, born in Canada.
Joe, 1879–1915, U.S. labor organizer and songwriter, born in Sweden.
a conspicuous and often rounded natural elevation of the earth's surface, less high or craggy than a mountain
( in combination )
a hillside
a hilltop
a heap or mound made by a person or animal
( in combination )
a dunghill
an incline; slope
informal beyond one's prime
slang military absent without leave or deserting
strenuously and persistently
to form into a hill or mound
to cover or surround with a mound or heap of earth
Archibald Vivian. 1886–1977, British biochemist, noted for his research into heat loss in muscle contraction: shared the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine (1922)
Damon Graham Devereux, son of Graham Hill. born 1960, British motor-racing driver; Formula One world champion (1996)
David Octavius 1802–70, Scottish painter and portrait photographer, noted esp for his collaboration with the chemist Robert Adamson (1821–48)
Sir Geoffrey ( William ). born 1932, British poet: his books include King Log (1968), Mercian Hymns (1971), The Mystery of the Charity of Charles Péguy (1983), and The Orchards of Syon (2002)
Graham. 1929–75, British motor-racing driver: world champion (1962, 1968)
Octavia. 1838–1912, British housing reformer; a founder of the National Trust
Sir Rowland. 1795–1879, British originator of the penny postage
Susan ( Elizabeth ). born 1942, British novelist and writer of short stories: her books include I'm the King of the Castle (1970) The Woman in Black (1983), and Felix Derby (2002)
before 1000; Middle English; Old English hyll; cognate with Middle Dutch hille, Latin collis hill; compare Latin culmen top, peak ( see column, culminate), celsus lofty, very high, Gothic hallus rock, Lithuanian kálnas mountain, Greek kolōnós hill, kolophṓn summit ( see colophon)
A hill is a high ridge or mound of land, not as tall as a mountain. A house on a hill has a great view of the surrounding countryside, and very little chance of being flooded. You can hike or drive up a hill — a gentle upward slope, in either case. An accidental or deliberate mound of stuff is another kind of hill, like a hill of snow in your yard, or a hill of trash at the dump. What's considered a hill in mountainous India — a height of up to 10,000 feet — is absolutely a mountain in Great Britain, where a hill is defined as an elevation of less than 2,000 feet.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last year organisers ASO introduced a circuit which takes on a cobbled climb over the city's famous Montmartre hill, changing the parcours enough to encourage the heavier, more powerful riders to challenge for victory.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
He was at Mayer am Nussberg, a Keller-run heuriger perched on a hill overlooking the capital, as part of a team-bonding trip with his social media firm.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
It’s a feat of engineering, situated on a hill between the park’s upper and lower lots, extending out toward Lankershim Boulevard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The next hill to conquer is social control.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
And at the top of the hill, the farmhouse looked much better than before.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
“You see something happen, something that you consider magnificent or magical ... it says, ‘Wow, now I want to do this,’” Hill said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Flanagan, who is known for his work on Netflix series such as Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House, is due to begin work on scripts soon, the company said.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Paralympic swimmer Jamal Hill founded Swim Up Hill with a goal to teach underprivileged children how to swim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Next spring, Black Ankle’s proprietors will debut Live Edge Vineyards, a new winery in Clarksburg, not far from Burnt Hill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Usually we timed ourselves so well that we met each other as we got to the bottom of Purgatory Hill.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
The hills of Northern Ireland, northern England and north Wales will have 5-10mm of rain this weekend.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
It is a place out of time, reached by a rocky road between arid hills and the sea where you have to dodge stray cows, goats and wild horses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Burlington, about 20 miles west of Hartford, is a wealthy, picturesque town of fewer than 10,000 people tucked among rolling hills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The city of about 35,000 has always considered itself an island of Old California, even as clogged roads and McMansions blemished the once-pristine hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
Most folks couldn’t afford to pay them to do their chores, so they also picked wild herbs from the hills.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
In cultivating I keep the surface level, as they do better if kept in this way than if they are hilled up.
From Prairie Farmer, Vol. 56: No. 4, January 26, 1884 A Weekly Journal for the Farm, Orchard and Fireside by Various
It was better to have possession of the imperial seven hilled city, than of Gethsemane and Calvary with all their holy souvenirs.
From History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science by Draper, John William
There was little work for Paul to do in the village; but he kept their own garden in good trim,—the onion-bed clear of weeds, and the potatoes well hilled.
From Winning His Way by Coffin, Charles Carleton
And when he was come to behold the land, he let make above the table of silver a chest of gold and of precious stones, that hilled the Holy Vessel.
From Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 2 by Malory, Thomas, Sir
Phoenix like symbol of the departed soul, he soars into the sky, and the seven hilled city throbs with pride, reverberating the shouts of her people.
From The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by Alger, William Rounseville
Prevailing industry practices often involve the concentrated application of fertilizers during the planting or hilling phases, particularly in Atlantic Canada.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2023
At the usual first hilling time, Dowding pulls a little nearby compost around each plant in a minimound, later adding more from the heap as the plants need hilling again.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
He mentions that the Potawatomi word for “hill” is a verb: “Hills are always in the process of hilling, they are actively being hills.”
From New York Times ● May 27, 2020
On an afternoon in March, Loïc Gouzer, a specialist in contemporary art at Christie’s New York, attended a hilling session to survey several works that had been secured for an upcoming auction.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 27, 2016
A slight hilling when the tassels appear will be advisable.
From Home Vegetable Gardening — a Complete and Practical Guide to the Planting and Care of All Vegetables, Fruits and Berries Worth Growing for Home Use by Rockwell, F. F. (Frederick Frye)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
