hell

¹ American  

[hel] / hɛl /

noun

1. the place or state of punishment of the wicked after death; the abode of evil and condemned spirits; Gehenna or Tartarus.

   Synonyms:

   inferno

   Antonyms:

   paradise, heaven

2. any place or state of torment or misery.

   They made their father's life a hell on earth.

   Synonyms:

   torture, agony, anguish

   Antonyms:

   paradise, heaven

3. something that causes torment or misery.

   Having that cut stitched without anesthesia was hell.

4. the powers of evil.

5. the abode of the dead; Sheol or Hades.

6. extreme disorder or confusion; chaos.

   The children let both dogs into the house, and all hell broke loose.

7. Informal. something remarkable of its kind (usually used in the phrase a hell of a orone hell of a ).

   That was one hell of a great game.

8. a receptacle into which a tailor throws scraps.

9. Also called hellbox.  Printing. a box into which a printer throws discarded type.

10. the utterance of “hell” in swearing or for emphasis.

11. Informal. the hell,

    1. (used as an intensifier to express surprise, anger, impatience, etc., often in the form of a question beginning with a WH-word).

       Why the hell can't the trains run on time?

       How the hell am I supposed to finish this by tomorrow?

    2. (used sarcastically or ironically to express the opposite of what is being stated).

       Are you listening to me? The hell you are!

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interjection

1. (used to express surprise, irritation, disgust, etc.)

verb phrase

1. hell around to live or act in a wild or dissolute manner.

   All they cared about was drinking and helling around.

idioms

1. for the hell of it,

   1. to see what will happen; for adventure, fun, excitement, etc..

      For the hell of it, let's just get on the next bus and see where it takes us.

   2. with no particular purpose; for no special reason.

      I called him up for the hell of it, and he offered me a job.

2. raise hell,

   1. to indulge in wild celebration.

   2. to create an uproar; object violently to.

      She'll raise hell when she sees what your rabbit has done to her garden.

3. be hell on,

   1. to be unpleasant to or painful for.

      These shoes are hell on my poor feet.

   2. to be harmful to.

      These country roads are hell on tires.

4. hell on wheels, extremely demanding, fast-paced, aggressive, effective, or the like.

   The new job is hell on wheels. Our sales staff is hell on wheels when it comes to getting the most out of every account.

5. get / catch hell, to suffer a scolding; receive a harsh reprimand.

   We'll get hell from our parents if we stay out late again.

6. play hell with, to deal recklessly with; bring injury or harm to.

   Snowstorms played hell with the flow of city traffic.

7. give someone hell, to reprimand or reproach severely.

8. the / to hell with, (used to express dismissal, rejection, contempt, disappointment, or the like).

   If we have to walk five miles to see the view, the hell with it! He wouldn't even speak to me, so to hell with him!

9. like hell,

   1. with great speed, effort, intensity, etc..

      We ran like hell to get home before the storm. She tried like hell to get him to change his mind.

   2. (used sarcastically or ironically to express the opposite of what is being stated).

      He says the motor will never break down? Like hell it won't!

10. what the hell, (used to express lack of concern or worry, indifference, abandonment, surrender, etc.).

    As long as you're borrowing $100, what the hell, borrow $200.

11. go to hell in a handbasket, handbasket.

he'll ² American  

[heel, eel, hil, il] / hil, il, hɪl, ɪl /

1. contraction of he will.

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hell ¹ British  

/ hɛl /

noun

1. Christianity (sometimes capital)

   1. the place or state of eternal punishment of the wicked after death, with Satan as its ruler

   2. forces of evil regarded as residing there

2. (sometimes capital) (in various religions and cultures) the abode of the spirits of the dead See also Hel Hades Sheol

3. pain, extreme difficulty, etc

4. informal a cause of such difficulty or suffering

   war is hell

5. high spirits or mischievousness

   there's hell in that boy

6. a box used by a tailor for discarded material

7. rare a gambling house, booth, etc

8. (intensifier)

   tired as hell

9. informal for the fun of it

10. informal denoting a person or thing that is particularly bad or alarming

    neighbour from hell

    hangover from hell

11. informal

    1. to give someone a severe reprimand or punishment

    2. to be a source of annoyance or torment to someone

12. informal (intensifier)

    a hell of a good performance

13. at great speed

14. informal whatever difficulties may arise

15. informal serious consequences, as of a foolish action

16. informal

    1. (adverb) (intensifier)

       he works like hell

    2. an expression of strong disagreement with a previous statement, request, order, etc

17. informal to throw into confusion and disorder; disrupt

18. 1. to create a noisy disturbance, as in fun

    2. to react strongly and unfavourably

19. informal

    the hell I will

    1. (intensifier) used in such phrases as what the hell, who the hell, etc

    2. an expression of strong disagreement or disfavour

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interjection

1. informal an exclamation of anger, annoyance, surprise, etc (Also in exclamations such as hell's bells, hell's teeth, etc)

he'll ² British  

/ ɪl, hɪl, iːl, hiːl /

contraction

1. he will or he shall

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hell Cultural  

1. The dwelling place of Satan, devils, and wicked souls condemned to eternal punishment after death; a place of pain and torment. (Compare heaven.)

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hell More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing hell

• (all hell) break loose
• devil (hell) of a
• for the hell of it
• give someone hell
• go to hell
• hot as hell
• like a bat out of hell
• like hell
• mad as a hornet (hell)
• not a hope in hell
• raise Cain (hell)
• road to hell is paved with good intentions
• shot to hell
• snowball's chance in hell
• till hell freezes over
• to hell and gone
• to hell with
• what the hell

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Usage

See contraction.

Other Word Forms

• hell-like adjective

Etymology

Origin of hell

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English hel(l); cognate with Old High German hell(i)a ( German Hölle ), Old Norse hel, Gothic halja; akin to Old English helan “to cover, hide,” and to hull ²

Example Sentences

“His toughness was off the charts, his versatility with all the different lineups we played, being able to physically and mentally handle that. He was just a steadying presence. He’ll be a huge key coming back as a captain, a leader and a player. As many of those guys as you can have in a locker room — you’ll be a lot closer to winning.”

From Los Angeles Times

If Dugan’s conviction is upheld on appeal, I think it’s unlikely that he’ll give her any term of confinement behind bars.

From Slate

"I think Joshua gets him out there in rounds three or four. I don't think it's going to be a knock-over job straight away. I don't think Paul is going to fall to the ground as soon as he gets hit. I think he'll come prepared. But the second Joshua gets the chance and he sees the vulnerability of Paul, he'll finish him off. I expect a clinical domination job in the end."

From BBC

He’s almost certain he’ll be back for work at some point, though he doesn’t know when, much less where either of us will be in our dating lives.

From Los Angeles Times

That main room is “grand and nice and modern … while still being modest,” said Gustav, and he’ll have his own bedroom after sharing one with his brother.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• inferno
• misery
• nightmare
• purgatory