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hellfire

American  
[hel-fahyuhr] / ˈhɛlˌfaɪər /

noun

  1. the fire of hell.

  2. punishment in hell.

  3. Military. Hellfire, a laser-guided U.S. Army antiarmor missile designed for launch from a helicopter.

hellfire British  
/ ˈhɛlˌfaɪə /

noun

  1. the torment and punishment of hell, envisaged as eternal fire

  2. (modifier) characterizing sermons or preachers that emphasize this aspect of Christian belief

    hellfire evangelism
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hellfire

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English helle fȳr; hell, fire

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At the helm was Osbourne, who channeled the darker forces within this music with hypnotic wild-child abandon, as if he were possessed by the hellfire spirit.

From Salon • Jul. 26, 2025

The online opinions didn’t stop at hellfire, however.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024

The ancients thought Earth’s center was hollow: the home of Hades or hellfire, or a realm of tunnels that heated ocean waters.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 30, 2022

A diaristic piece on Dante’s “Inferno” slides effortlessly between visions of hellfire and the hushed winter landscape of Sweden.

From New York Times • Dec. 31, 2020

When I woke, the city of New York was consumed with burning hellfire.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

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.