mound

¹ American  

[mound] / maʊnd /

noun

1. a natural elevation of earth; a hillock or knoll.

2. an artificial elevation of earth, as for a defense work or a dam or barrier; an embankment.

3. a heap or raised mass.

   a mound of papers;

   a mound of hay.

4. Baseball. the slightly raised ground from which the pitcher delivers the ball.

5. an elevation formed of earth, sand, stones, etc., especially over a grave or ruins.

6. a tumulus or other raised work of earth dating from a prehistoric or long-past period.

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verb (used with object)

1. to form into a mound; heap up.

2. to furnish with a mound of earth, as for a defense.

mound ² American  

[mound] / maʊnd /

noun

1. a globe topped with a cross that symbolizes power and constitutes part of the regalia of an English sovereign.

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mound ¹ British  

/ maʊnd /

noun

1. a raised mass of earth, debris, etc

2. any heap or pile

   a mound of washing

3. a small natural hill

4. archaeol another word for barrow 2

5. an artificial ridge of earth, stone, etc, as used for defence

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verb

1. (often foll by up) to gather into a mound; heap

2. (tr) to cover or surround with a mound

   to mound a grave

mound ² British  

/ maʊnd /

noun

1. heraldry a rare word for orb

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Other Word Forms

• unmounded adjective

Etymology

Origin of mound¹

First recorded in 1505–15; of obscure origin; noun “hedge or fence used as a boundary or protection,” verb “to enclose with a fence”; compare Old English mund “hand,” hence “protection, protector”; cognate with Old Norse mund “hand,” Middle Dutch mond “protection”

Origin of mound²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English mounde, mundie, from Old French monde, munde, from Latin mundus “world”

Example Sentences

Shohei Ohtani yields just one hit over six innings in his season debut on the mound in the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The former broker said ants could also be harvested by gently disturbing the mound and collecting them as they tried to escape.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

The South Americans took the lead in the top of the third as US starter Nolan McLean struggled for command from the mound.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Carlos Mendoza, McLean’s manager on the Mets, admitted that he has “mixed feelings” about having one of his key players take the mound at the WBC this close to the start of the regular season.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

There’s now a huge mound of medicine that is slowly starting to overflow.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh