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Himalayas

American  
[him-uh-ley-uhz, hi-mahl-yuhz] / ˌhɪm əˈleɪ əz, hɪˈmɑl yəz /

plural noun

  1. the Himalayas, a mountain range extending about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) along the border between India and Tibet. Highest peak, Mt. Everest, 29,028 feet (8,848 meters).

Himalayas British  
/ hɪˈmɑːljəz, ˌhɪməˈleɪəz /

plural noun

  1. a vast mountain system in S Asia, extending 2400 km (1500 miles) from Kashmir (west) to Assam (east), between the valleys of the Rivers Indus and Brahmaputra: covers most of Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, and the S edge of Tibet; the highest range in the world, with several peaks over 7500 m (25 000 ft). Highest peak: Mount Everest, 8848 m (29 028 ft)

"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
Himalayas Cultural  

  1. Mountain range in Asia, extending east through Pakistan, India, China (Tibet), Nepal, and Bhutan.

Discover More

The Himalayas contain the world's highest mountains, including Mount Everest.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of Himalayas

First recorded in 1835–40; from Sanskrit Himālaya, equivalent to hima “snow” + ālaya “dwelling, abode” + -s 3 ( def. )

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.

A parallel danger lurks in the Himalayas and other high mountain areas like the Andes, where melting glaciers have created thousands of new lakes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Significant groupings appear beneath the Himalayas in southern Asia and near the Bering Strait between Asia and North America, south of the Arctic Circle.

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2026

From red-robed Buddhist monks in the snowy Himalayas, to political exiles in megacities across South Asia, to refugees in Australia, Europe and North America, voting will take place in 27 countries -- but not China.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

Much less winter snow is falling on the Himalayas, leaving the mountains bare and rocky in many parts of the region in a season when they should be snow-clad, meteorologists have said.

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026

So strong, the goose can fly over the Himalayas, 20,000 feet above sea level.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

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.