hellhole

[ hel-hohl ]

/ ˈhɛlˌhoʊl /

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noun

a place totally lacking in comfort, cleanliness, order, etc.

a place or establishment noted for its illegal or immoral practices.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

their

there

they're

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Origin of hellhole

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at hell, hole

Words nearby hellhole

hell-for-leather, Hell Gate, hellgrammite, hell has no fury like a woman scorned, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, hellhole, hellhound, Hellinger, Hellin's law, hellion, hellish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for hellhole

They'd tell you immediately that we need security around our ambassador in a hellhole like Benghazi.
Don't Blame Gay Men for Benghazi|David Frum|October 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“This place was a hellhole,” says Akram Mohamed Ramadan, a rebel fighter who came to visit the prison on Friday.
Return to Tripoli’s Notorious Jail|Babak Dehghanpisheh|August 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
From these headquarters, Maria Leon and her family had turned the neighborhood into a hellhole.
The Gangster Matriarch of L.A.|Christine Pelisek|September 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
At least I could comfort myself with the thought that the mom and kid got out of that hellhole alive.
My Disney Cruise from Hell|Laura Bennett|April 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST

How did you research that portrait of Aden, which seems like the most terrifying hellhole I can imagine?
A Novel That's the Best Medicine|Tina Brown|February 11, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The flag which floats over every hellhole of mine and mill and prison?
The Red Conspiracy|Joseph J. Mereto
But near the Mammoth Hot Springs is a hellhole that did attract me.
Wild Animals at Home|Ernest Thompson Seton

British Dictionary definitions for hellhole

hellhole

/ (ˈhɛlˌhəʊl) /

noun

an unpleasant or evil place

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

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hellhole

noun

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Origin of hellhole

Words nearby hellhole

Example sentences from the Web for hellhole

British Dictionary definitions for hellhole

noun