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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

The 35-year-old works tirelessly on a small mountain of rubble, but it is increasingly unlikely he will find the woman he considers a mother alive.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Monday, destroying 153 buildings and damaging many others across several provinces along the country’s western mountain range.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Thames Water paid its finance chief a £1m signing-on fee in July as the company struggles with a mountain of debt and faces temporary nationalisation.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The film tells the story of a neglected young boy in 1980s Wales, looking for friendship and community when he meets a man living alone on a mountain.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Turning, I saw the shimmering image of the rock, thrown up by multiple projectors mounted to the surrounding mountain.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

The author, 77, whose Pulitzer Prize winning “Empire Falls” came out 25 years ago, sets his new book in a fictional place called Stone Mountain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

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

Her set, which spanned her decades-long career, also featured hits such as Chain Reaction, Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Stop!

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Behavioral and physiological ecologist Ken Armitage, who died in 2022, began his marmot research at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in 1962.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

It meant that soon the pass up The Mountain would be closed.

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

Sea, sand, spiked skyline, and mountains meet in one widescreen.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

A detached two-story guesthouse sits on the property with a centerpiece rooftop vantage point presenting breathtaking views of the iconic Surfrider Beach, Malibu Lagoon, and rolling mountains.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

“If a fire starts, there is a high risk of rapid fire growth with increased potential of plume-dominated behavior across the interior valleys, mountains and deserts,” said the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

I looked out the window at the snowy mountains rolling along the horizon.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• alp
• bluff
• butte
• cliff
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• height
• mesa
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• palisade
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• ridge
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• volcano