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• mountain
  mountain

  noun

  a natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2,000 feet (610 meters).
• Mountain
  Mountain

  noun

  an extremist faction during the French Revolution led by Danton and Robespierre

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mountain

American  

[moun-tn] / ˈmaʊn tn /

noun

• mountains
  plural

1. a natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2,000 feet (610 meters).

2. a large mass of something resembling this, as in shape or size.

3. a huge amount.

   a mountain of incoming mail.

4. (initial capital letter) a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck.

5. Also called mountain wine.  British Archaic. a sweet Malaga wine.

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adjective

1. of or relating to mountains.

   mountain air.

2. living, growing, or located in the mountains.

   mountain people.

3. resembling or suggesting a mountain, as in size.

idioms

1. make a mountain out of a molehill. molehill.

Mountain ¹ British  

/ ˈmaʊntɪn /

noun

1. an extremist faction during the French Revolution led by Danton and Robespierre

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mountain ² British  

/ ˈmaʊntɪn /

noun

1. 1. a natural upward projection of the earth's surface, higher and steeper than a hill and often having a rocky summit

   2. ( as modifier )

      mountain people

      mountain scenery

   3. ( in combination )

      a mountaintop

2. a huge heap or mass

   a mountain of papers

3. anything of great quantity or size

4. a surplus of a commodity, esp in the European Union

   the butter mountain

5. informal a serious or considerable difficulty or obstruction to overcome

6. See molehill

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mountain Scientific  

/ moun′tən /

1. A generally massive and usually steep-sided, raised portion of the Earth's surface. Mountains can occur as single peaks or as part of a long chain. They can form through volcanic activity, by erosion, or by uplift of the continental crust when two tectonic plates collide. The Himalayas, which are the highest mountains in the world, were formed when the plate carrying the landmass of India collided with the plate carrying the landmass of China.

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mountain More Idioms  

1. see if the mountain won't come to Muhammad; make a mountain out of a molehill.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undermountain
  noun
• mountainless
  adjective
• submountain
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mountains
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mountain

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English mountaine, from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin montānea (unrecorded), noun use of feminine of montāneus (unrecorded), from Latin montān(us) “mountainous” (from mont-, stem of mōns “hill, mountain” + -ānus -an ) + -eus, adjective suffix

Explanation

A mountain is a large and often steep landmass that's much higher than the surrounding area. It's not to be confused with a molehill. The word mountain has been around since the 1200s. A mountain is much larger than an average hill; it's a mass of land that rises up to 2000 feet or so. Mountain does not always describe a land mass. It can also be used to refer to an undertaking, a pile of something, or even a large dose of trouble. You might have a mountain of mashed potatoes you don't want to eat, or a mountain of homework.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mountain Mountain mountains

A mountain lion lounging on the sidewalk under the shade of a tree has shut down a street in San Dimas while wildlife officials rush to the area to capture the animal Friday afternoon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The granddaughter of coal miners grew up in the southwest Virginia mountain town of Tazewell, within 50 miles of most every relative she ever had.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Then they start removing each item from a mountain of packaging, holding each one close to the camera to give the viewer a good look.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

The truck was then escorted to a special site where the search began to find the "small piece of paper hidden in a mountain of waste".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

I could feel the magic of it spreading over the mountain, sinking into the ground, and running right up through my feet, bursting with power and fateful glory.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Shock and grief have hit members of the alpine climbing community with the President of Nepal's National Mountain Guide Association Tul Singh Gurung saying they had "lost a generation of accomplished mountaineers".

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Montrose Search and Rescue and the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team were alerted to the victim, who was in the Bear Canyon area but whose exact location was unknown, officials stated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

A Notice of Default was filed on behalf of Mountain Trails Community Association after monthly dues started going unpaid in January 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Pickaxe Mountain is one of the few Iranian sites linked to the country's nuclear programme that has not been the target of US and Israeli strikes.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

I looked down the road winding up The Mountain and saw the most amazing sight.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

The avalanche struck on July 30, cutting off contact with the 10-member international expedition led by 43-year-old British-Nepali climber Purja on Broad Peak, one of the world's highest mountains.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

While over a million adventure travellers go to the Himalayas each year, the Karakoram mountains in Pakistan attract only about 15,000 hikers annually.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Searching among 950 million trees scattered across mountains and deep valleys was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

“I take zero mountains for granted,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

They covered entire mountains, obscuring the small houses at the very top.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• alp
• bluff
• butte
• cliff
• crag
• elevation
• eminence
• height
• mesa
• mount
• palisade
• peak
• pike
• precipice
• range
• ridge
• sierra
• tor
• volcano