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 orone 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.
Informal. the hell,
(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!
for the hell of it,
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.
raise hell,
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.
be hell on,
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.
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.
get / catch hell, to suffer a scolding; receive a harsh reprimand.
We'll get hell from our parents if we stay out late again.
play hell with, to deal recklessly with; bring injury or harm to.
Snowstorms played hell with the flow of city traffic.
give someone hell, to reprimand or reproach severely.
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!
like hell,
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!
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.
go to hell in a handbasket, handbasket.
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 dead See also Hel Hades Sheol
pain, extreme difficulty, etc
informal a cause of such difficulty or suffering
war is hell
high spirits or mischievousness
there's hell in that boy
a box used by a tailor for discarded material
rare a gambling house, booth, etc
(intensifier)
tired as hell
informal for the fun of it
informal denoting a person or thing that is particularly bad or alarming
neighbour from hell
hangover from hell
informal
to give someone a severe reprimand or punishment
to be a source of annoyance or torment to someone
informal (intensifier)
a hell of a good performance
at great speed
informal whatever difficulties may arise
informal serious consequences, as of a foolish action
informal
(adverb) (intensifier)
he works like hell
an expression of strong disagreement with a previous statement, request, order, etc
informal to throw into confusion and disorder; disrupt
to create a noisy disturbance, as in fun
to react strongly and unfavourably
informal
the hell I will
(intensifier) used in such phrases as what the hell, who the hell, etc
an expression of strong disagreement or disfavour
See contraction.
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
Hell is a terrible state or place of pain, suffering, and misery. If you're religious, you might believe in hell as a place where bad people go after they die. Even if you don't subscribe to a religion that includes a concept of eternal hell for evil or blasphemous people, you might use the word to describe a terrible place or situation. Someone who's suffered an agonizing ordeal might say, "I've been through hell." The phrase "when hell freezes over" basically means "never," since hell is famous for its reputation as burning with infinite fire.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bob’s move signals he’ll do anything to silence her, now and in perpetuity.
From Salon • May 29, 2026
But the prospect of a job interview seems so far beyond his capacities he wonders if he’ll end up living on the street.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Rumour has it he'll be performing all his own vocals.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
And he’ll need to get hold of their nighttime raids into the pantry and incessant time spent on social media before it renders them unfit for purpose when their parents get home.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
“Mighty fine eats. Eben may sail the seven seas, but he’ll never find as fine a cook as you, Pretty.”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
