hell of a
Idioms-
Also, one hell of a
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See devil of a .
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This phrase is used as an intensive to emphasize certain qualities about the noun it modifies. By itself the idiom is ambiguous, for its exact meaning depends on the context. For example, He is a hell of a driver can mean either that he is very skillful or that he is a terrible driver. Similarly, We had one hell of a time can mean either that we enjoyed ourselves greatly or that we had an awful or difficult time. [Second half of 1700s]
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.
To paraphrase the maxim falsely attributed to Lincoln, you can fool a whole bunch of the people for a hell of a long time, but you can’t fool all of them forever.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
“A hell of a game,” Riley called it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
“The two of them actually were a hell of a team,” O’Leary said of their rapport at the business-school event.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Here’s what you do: You go out there and have one hell of a weekend.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026
The group took on the additional tasks with zeal, because space looked like “a hell of a lot of fun.”
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
