mountain
a natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2,000 feet (610 meters).
a large mass of something resembling this, as in shape or size.
a huge amount: a mountain of incoming mail.
(initial capital letter) a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck.
Also called mountain wine .British Archaic. a sweet Malaga wine.
of or relating to mountains: mountain air.
living, growing, or located in the mountains: mountain people.
resembling or suggesting a mountain, as in size.
Idioms about mountain
make a mountain out of a molehill. molehill (def. 2).
Origin of mountain
1Other words from mountain
- moun·tain·less, adjective
- sub·moun·tain, adjective
- un·der·moun·tain, noun
Words Nearby mountain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mountain in a sentence
At the moment, you are racing against three other riders up one of the mountains.
They lowered the price of gasoline, charging less than the station at the bottom of the mountain and less than the stations up in Shaver.
A California mountain community loses its heart | Mike Silverstein | September 10, 2020 | Washington BladeAt the park’s eastern Rincon mountain District, mountain bikers will find a section of singletrack that links to more than 800 miles of dirt riding along the Arizona Trail.
Crack a cold one after a race, a hard session, or a long day in the mountains.
That was a big part of why we wanted to defend our side of the mountain.
Then they came up against a police patrol on mountain bicycles, which again led to more shooting, without injuries.
Police Hunt for Paris Massacre Suspects | Tracy McNicoll, Christopher Dickey | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAlso in Germany, he made The mountain Eagle, which was set, Hitchcock recalled, “in Old Kentucky, wherever that might be.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTCadets mimicked his commands, which he issued in drawn-out syllables in his high-pitched, mountain-inflected voice.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor | S. C. Gwynne | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere were rumors that Schmidt was motivated by buried treasure or another secret of the mountain, but they were never proven.
Then, he set to work building a shortcut that would take the minable minerals he found through the mountain.
We had now approached closely to the foot of the mountain-ranges, and their lofty summits were high above us in mid-air.
The jagged top and spurs of San Jacinto mountain shone like the turrets and posterns of a citadel built of rubies.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonThese residents then killed the parish priest, and without arms fled for safety to the mountain ravines.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanWe came down the rest of the mountain more carefully, though still a great deal too fast.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyA short distance off was another ridge or spur of the mountain, widening out into almost a plateau.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
British Dictionary definitions for mountain (1 of 2)
/ (ˈmaʊntɪn) /
a natural upward projection of the earth's surface, higher and steeper than a hill and often having a rocky summit
(as modifier): mountain people; mountain scenery
(in combination): a mountaintop
a huge heap or mass: a mountain of papers
anything of great quantity or size
a surplus of a commodity, esp in the European Union: the butter mountain
a mountain to climb British informal a serious or considerable difficulty or obstruction to overcome
make a mountain out of a molehill See molehill (def. 2)
Origin of mountain
1British Dictionary definitions for Mountain (2 of 2)
/ (ˈmaʊntɪn) /
the Mountain an extremist faction during the French Revolution led by Danton and Robespierre
Origin of Mountain
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for mountain
[ moun′tən ]
A generally massive and usually steep-sided, raised portion of the Earth's surface. Mountains can occur as single peaks or as part of a long chain. They can form through volcanic activity, by erosion, or by uplift of the continental crust when two tectonic plates collide. The Himalayas, which are the highest mountains in the world, were formed when the plate carrying the landmass of India collided with the plate carrying the landmass of China.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with mountain
see if the mountain won't come to Muhammad; make a mountain out of a molehill.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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