hell

[ hel ]

/ hɛl /

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noun

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

any place or state of torment or misery: They made their father's life a hell on earth.

something that causes torment or misery: Having that cut stitched without anesthesia was hell.

the powers of evil.

the abode of the dead; Sheol or Hades.

extreme disorder or confusion; chaos: The children let both dogs into the house, and all hell broke loose.

Informal. something remarkable of its kind (usually used in the phrase a hell of a or one hell of a): That was one hell of a great game.

a receptacle into which a tailor throws scraps.

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

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

the hell, Informal.

(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?
(used sarcastically or ironically to express the opposite of what is being stated): Are you listening to me? The hell you are!

interjection

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

Verb Phrases

hell around, Slang. to live or act in a wild or dissolute manner: All they cared about was drinking and helling around.

OTHER WORDS FOR hell

1 inferno.

2 anguish, agony, torture.

See synonyms for hell on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR hell

1, 2 heaven, paradise.

See antonyms for hell on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about hell

be hell on, Slang.

to be unpleasant to or painful for: These shoes are hell on my poor feet.
to be harmful to: These country roads are hell on tires.

for the hell of it, Informal.

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.
with no particular purpose; for no special reason: I called him up for the hell of it, and he offered me a job.

get / catch hell, Slang. to suffer a scolding; receive a harsh reprimand: We'll get hell from our parents if we stay out late again.

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

go to hell in a handbasket, Informal. handbasket (def. 2).

hell on wheels, Slang. 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.

like hell, Informal.

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.
(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!

play hell with, Slang. to deal recklessly with; bring injury or harm to: Snowstorms played hell with the flow of city traffic.

raise hell, Slang.

to indulge in wild celebration.
to create an uproar; object violently to: She'll raise hell when she sees what your rabbit has done to her garden.

the / to hell with, Informal. (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!

what the hell, Informal. (used to express lack of concern or worry, indifference, abandonment, surrender, etc.): As long as you're borrowing $100, what the hell, borrow $200.

Origin of hell

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 hull²

OTHER WORDS FROM hell

hell-like, adjective

Words nearby hell

helium, helium flash, helium I, helium II, helix, hell, hella, hellacious, Helladic, Hellas, hellbender

Other definitions for hell (2 of 2)

he'll

[ heel; unstressed eel, hil, il ]

/ hil; unstressed il, hɪl, ɪl /

contraction of he will.

usage note for he'll

See contraction.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH he'll

heal, heel, he'll

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hell in a sentence

It won’t solve the problem, but it will sure as hell lower the temperature.
American Fringes: How the Media Makes it Worse|Nick Fouriezos|September 7, 2020|Ozy
Given the state of misinformation globally, he has a hell of a repair job ahead.
He’s Fighting QAnon With Sunlight|Nick Fouriezos|September 6, 2020|Ozy
In the second movie, which came out in 1991, Bill and Ted end up on a “bogus journey” that takes them, for whatever reason, to the afterlife — both hell and heaven.
The essential kindness of Bill and Ted|Alissa Wilkinson|August 28, 2020|Vox
Venus is also very similar to Earth in size and composition, yet somehow it has turned into a hell planet.
These Images Expose the Dark Side of the Solar System - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Corey S. Powell|August 26, 2020|Nautilus

Doing good and doing well cannot be mutually exclusive for us to have a chance in hell at creating the world that we want to live in.
Uncharted Power’s Jessica O. Matthews has a plan to revive America’s crumbling infrastructure|Brooke Henderson|August 23, 2020|Fortune
Hell, he says Koenig never referred to it as Serial or even as a podcast.
The Deal With Serial’s Jay? He’s Pissed Off, Mucks Up Our Timeline|Emily Shire|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The revelation that, at age 42, Ben Affleck has one hell of an ass.
Year of the Butt: How the Booty Changed the World in 2014|Kevin Fallon|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How the hell does somebody show up at a David Duke organized event in 2002 and claim ignorance?
No. 3 Republican Admits Talking to White Supremacist Conference|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hell, one of the Dixie Chicks even offered to Uber her balls over to the company.
Sony: Hollywood’s Most Subversive Studio Under Attack|Marlow Stern|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And, the Chilbosan would make a hell of a comedy movie; “Fawlty Towers” meets the “Great Dictator.”
Inside the ‘Surprisingly Great’ North Korean Hacker Hotel|Michael Daly|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They used to declare that every unbaptised baby would go to Hell and burn for ever in fire and brimstone.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
The city hell hounds sprang to meet them and the slaughter of inoffensive Europeans began in Darya Gunj.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
A gentleman does not call his opponents vipers and consign them to hell, but Jahveh is not under any such obligations.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
Hell below was in an uproar to meet thee at thy coming, it stirred up the giants for thee.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
To escape from these horrible theories, the Christians (some of them) have thrown over the doctrines of Hell and the Devil.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford

British Dictionary definitions for hell (1 of 2)

hell

/ (hɛl) /

noun

Christianity (sometimes capital)

the place or state of eternal punishment of the wicked after death, with Satan as its ruler
forces of evil regarded as residing there

(sometimes capital) (in various religions and cultures) the abode of the spirits of the deadSee also Hel, Hades, Sheol

pain, extreme difficulty, etc

informal a cause of such difficulty or sufferingwar is hell

US and Canadian high spirits or mischievousnessthere's hell in that boy

a box used by a tailor for discarded material

rare a gambling house, booth, etc

as hell (intensifier)tired as hell

for the hell of it informal for the fun of it

from hell informal denoting a person or thing that is particularly bad or alarmingneighbour from hell; hangover from hell

give someone hell informal

to give someone a severe reprimand or punishment
to be a source of annoyance or torment to someone

hell of a or helluva informal (intensifier)a hell of a good performance

hell for leather at great speed

hell or high water or come hell or high water informal whatever difficulties may arise

hell to pay informal serious consequences, as of a foolish action

like hell informal

(adverb) (intensifier)he works like hell
an expression of strong disagreement with a previous statement, request, order, etc

play hell with or play merry hell with informal to throw into confusion and disorder; disrupt

raise hell

to create a noisy disturbance, as in fun
to react strongly and unfavourably

the hell informal

(intensifier) used in such phrases as what the hell, who the hell, etc
an expression of strong disagreement or disfavour

the hell I will

interjection

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

Word Origin for hell

Old English hell; related to helan to cover, Old Norse hel, Gothic halja hell, Old High German hella

British Dictionary definitions for hell (2 of 2)

he'll

/ (hiːl, unstressed iːl, hɪl, ɪl) /

contraction of

he will or he shall

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

Cultural definitions for hell

hell

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with hell

hell

In addition to the idioms beginning with hell

hell has no fury like a woman scorned
hell of a
hell on wheels
hell or high water, come
hell to pay

also see:

(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

hell

OTHER WORDS FOR hell

OPPOSITES FOR hell

Idioms about hell

Origin of hell

OTHER WORDS FROM hell

Words nearby hell

Other definitions for hell (2 of 2)

usage note for he'll

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH he'll

Words related to hell

How to use hell in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hell (1 of 2)

Word Origin for hell

British Dictionary definitions for hell (2 of 2)

Cultural definitions for hell

Other Idioms and Phrases with hell