mountain

[ moun-tn ]

/ ˈmaʊn tn /

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See synonyms for: mountain / mountains on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

adjective

of or relating to mountains: mountain air.

living, growing, or located in the mountains: mountain people.

resembling or suggesting a mountain, as in size.

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Idioms for mountain

make a mountain out of a molehill. molehill (def. 2).

Origin of mountain

1175–1225; Middle English mountaine<Old French montaigne<Vulgar Latin *montānea, noun use of feminine of *montāneus, equivalent to Latin montān(us) mountainous (mont-, stem of mōns mountain + -ānus-an) + -eus adj. suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM mountain

moun·tain·less, adjectivesub·moun·tain, adjectiveun·der·moun·tain, noun

Words nearby mountain

mounding, moundsman, Mounds View, Moundsville, mount, mountain, mountain ash, mountain avens, mountain beaver, mountain bike, mountain bluebird

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

Example sentences from the Web for mountain

At the moment, you are racing against three other riders up one of the mountains.
Can You Reach The Summit First?|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
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 Blade
At 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.
27 Epic Trips to Start Planning Now|The Editors|September 8, 2020|Outside Online
Crack a cold one after a race, a hard session, or a long day in the mountains.
The Most Futuristic Workout Gear of 2020|Hayden Carpenter|September 5, 2020|Outside Online

That was a big part of why we wanted to defend our side of the mountain.
How We Saved Our Neighborhood from a Wildfire|Dain Zaffke|September 2, 2020|Outside Online
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|DAILY BEAST
Also 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|DAILY BEAST
Cadets 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|DAILY BEAST
There were rumors that Schmidt was motivated by buried treasure or another secret of the mountain, but they were never proven.
The Mole Man’s Tunnel to Nowhere|Nina Strochlic|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then, he set to work building a shortcut that would take the minable minerals he found through the mountain.
The Mole Man’s Tunnel to Nowhere|Nina Strochlic|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We had now approached closely to the foot of the mountain-ranges, and their lofty summits were high above us in mid-air.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The jagged top and spurs of San Jacinto Mountain shone like the turrets and posterns of a citadel built of rubies.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
These residents then killed the parish priest, and without arms fled for safety to the mountain ravines.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
We came down the rest of the mountain more carefully, though still a great deal too fast.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
A 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)

mountain

/ (ˈmaʊntɪn) /

noun

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 massa mountain of papers

anything of great quantity or size

a surplus of a commodity, esp in the European Unionthe 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)

Word Origin for mountain

C13: from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin montānea (unattested) mountainous, from Latin montānus, from mons mountain

British Dictionary definitions for mountain (2 of 2)

Mountain

/ (ˈmaʊntɪn) /

noun

the Mountain an extremist faction during the French Revolution led by Danton and Robespierre

Word Origin for Mountain

C18: so called because its members sat in the highest row of seats at the National Convention Hall in 1793

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

Scientific definitions for mountain

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.

Idioms and Phrases with mountain

mountain

see if the mountain won't come to Muhammad; make a mountain out of a molehill.

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