hill

¹

[hil]

noun

1. a natural elevation of the earth's surface, smaller than a mountain.

   Synonyms: foothill, hillock, knoll, mound, prominence, eminence
   Antonyms: valley, hollow

2. an incline, especially in a road.

   This old jalopy won't make it up the next hill.

3. an artificial heap, pile, or mound.

   a hill made by ants.

4. a small mound of earth raised about a cultivated plant or a cluster of such plants.

5. the plant or plants so surrounded.

   a hill of potatoes.

6. Baseball.,  mound.

7. the Hill. Capitol Hill.

verb (used with object)

1. to surround with hills.

   to hill potatoes.

2. to form into a hill or heap.

Hill

²

[hil]

noun

1. Ambrose Powell 1825–65, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.

2. Archibald Vivian 1886–1977, English physiologist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1922.

3. James Jerome, 1838–1916, U.S. railroad builder and financier, born in Canada.

4. Joe, 1879–1915, U.S. labor organizer and songwriter, born in Sweden.

hill

¹

/ hɪl /

noun

1. 1. a conspicuous and often rounded natural elevation of the earth's surface, less high or craggy than a mountain

   2. ( in combination )

      a hillside

      a hilltop

2. 1. a heap or mound made by a person or animal

   2. ( in combination )

      a dunghill

3. an incline; slope

4. 1. informal,  beyond one's prime

   2. slang,  military absent without leave or deserting

5. strenuously and persistently

verb

1. to form into a hill or mound

2. to cover or surround with a mound or heap of earth

Hill

²

/ hɪl /

noun

1. Archibald Vivian. 1886–1977, British biochemist, noted for his research into heat loss in muscle contraction: shared the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine (1922)

2. Damon Graham Devereux, son of Graham Hill. born 1960, British motor-racing driver; Formula One world champion (1996)

3. David Octavius 1802–70, Scottish painter and portrait photographer, noted esp for his collaboration with the chemist Robert Adamson (1821–48)

4. Sir Geoffrey ( William ). born 1932, British poet: his books include King Log (1968), Mercian Hymns (1971), The Mystery of the Charity of Charles Péguy (1983), and The Orchards of Syon (2002)

5. Graham. 1929–75, British motor-racing driver: world champion (1962, 1968)

6. Octavia. 1838–1912, British housing reformer; a founder of the National Trust

7. Sir Rowland. 1795–1879, British originator of the penny postage

8. Susan ( Elizabeth ). born 1942, British novelist and writer of short stories: her books include I'm the King of the Castle (1970) The Woman in Black (1983), and Felix Derby (2002)

Other Word Forms

• hiller noun
• underhill noun
• hilly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hill¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English hyll; cognate with Middle Dutch hille, Latin collis hill; compare Latin culmen top, peak ( column, culminate ), celsus lofty, very high, Gothic hallus rock, Lithuanian kálnas mountain, Greek kolōnós hill, kolophṓn summit ( colophon )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hill¹

Old English hyll; related to Old Frisian holla head, Latin collis hill, Low German hull hill

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go over the hill,

   1. to break out of prison.

   2. to absent oneself without leave from one's military unit.

   3. to leave suddenly or mysteriously.

      Rumor has it that her husband has gone over the hill.

2. over the hill,

   1. relatively advanced in age.

   2. past one's prime.

see downhill all the way; go downhill; head for (the hills); make a mountain out of a molehill; not worth a dime (hill of beans); old as Adam (the hills); over the hill.

Example Sentences

Fred Lynam from the Young Conservatives says the party has a "difficult hill to climb – even more difficult with young voters".

From BBC

A short drive up into the hills, there's a small pocket of woodland on the edge of an upmarket suburb that could reveal a terrible secret.

From BBC

They chased him and his friends through factories in Los Angeles and across the hills that separate Tijuana and San Diego.

From Los Angeles Times

Young people from a low-income, disadvantaged background aren't doomed to failure, he says, "but the hill to climb is so much harder".

From BBC

Galatasaray's fans gathered in their thousands in the bars and cafes close to this magnificent arena, built on a hill so it overlooks Istanbul, hours before kick-off.

From BBC

Related Words

• bluff 
• cliff 
• dune 
• highland 
• hillside 
• hilltop 
• ridge 
• slope