Jump To:

• mountain
  mountain

  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).
• Mountain
  Mountain

  noun

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

Trivia Time

What is Earth's tallest mountain when measured from base to peak?

Test Your Knowledge

mountain

American  

[maun-tn] / ˈmaʊn tn /

noun

• mountains
  plural

1. 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).

2. a large mass of something resembling this, as in shape or size.

3. a huge amount.

   a mountain of incoming mail.

4. (initial capital letter) a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck.

5. Also called mountain wine. British Archaic. a sweet Malaga wine.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to mountains.

   mountain air.

2. living, growing, or located in the mountains.

   mountain people.

3. resembling or suggesting a mountain, as in size.

idioms

1. make a mountain out of a molehill. molehill.

Mountain ¹ British  

/ ˈmaʊntɪn /

noun

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

---

mountain ² British  

/ ˈmaʊntɪn /

noun

1. 1. a natural upward projection of the earth's surface, higher and steeper than a hill and often having a rocky summit

   2. ( as modifier )

      mountain people

      mountain scenery

   3. ( in combination )

      a mountaintop

2. a huge heap or mass

   a mountain of papers

3. anything of great quantity or size

4. a surplus of a commodity, esp in the European Union

   the butter mountain

5. informal a serious or considerable difficulty or obstruction to overcome

6. See molehill

---

mountain Scientific  

/ moun′tən /

1. 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.

---

mountain More Idioms  

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undermountain
  noun
• mountainless
  adjective
• submountain
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mountains
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mountain

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English mountaine, from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin montānea (unrecorded), noun use of feminine of montāneus (unrecorded), from Latin montān(us) “mountainous” (from mont-, stem of mōns “hill, mountain” + -ānus -an ) + -eus, adjective suffix

Explanation

A mountain is a large and often steep landmass that's much higher than the surrounding area. It's not to be confused with a molehill. The word mountain has been around since the 1200s. A mountain is much larger than an average hill; it's a mass of land that rises up to 2000 feet or so. Mountain does not always describe a land mass. It can also be used to refer to an undertaking, a pile of something, or even a large dose of trouble. You might have a mountain of mashed potatoes you don't want to eat, or a mountain of homework.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mountain Mountain mountains

"I set a bar for myself as a young man that is kinda unattainable. I tell people, 'Look, it's a long way down from the top of the mountain'."

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

We were travelling with Yemen's pro-government forces, catching glimpses of the Arabian Sea, and forbidding mountain peaks in the distance.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Imagine that the energy requirements for fusion ignition form a landscape dominated by a towering mountain.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

“Given the current combination of nominal growth and interest costs, France’s mountain of debt is growing by around 8% annually,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The first day was gone, and though the pile of gold grew above my head, the straw still loomed like a mountain.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

More than 16 million people have ridden X2, Magic Mountain said in its statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The Camp David property - set deep in Catoctin Mountain Park in Frederick County, Maryland - was first taken over as a retreat by President Franklin Roosevelt, who nicknamed it "Shangri-La".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Suncor operates a refinery in Colorado, while ExxonMobil has deep ties to the Rocky Mountain State.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Hunched over a desk in the Mountain State Spotlight newsroom in Charleston, West Virginia, pen in hand, we scrawled out official notice of our new school in a spiral-bound notebook.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

It was late afternoon as I walked through The Village, toward the road that led down The Mountain.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Earlier this year, he escaped to Dali, a magnet for drifters in China’s Yunnan province known for its scenic mountains and slow pace of life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

It reveals an extraordinary variety of landscapes, from towering mountains and fertile farmland to deep blue waters.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

A large swimming pool serves as the centerpiece of the outdoor entertaining space, with the elevated setting providing views of the city skyline and nearby mountains.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

That storm made landfall in the same Florida region as Isaias, but remained at tropical storm strength as it moved northward, dumping record amounts of rainfall into the mountains and leading to deadly flooding.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

It was in trees and trolls, squirrels and rabbits, mountains and rivers and rocks.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• alp
• bluff
• butte
• cliff
• crag
• elevation
• eminence
• height
• mesa
• mount
• palisade
• peak
• pike
• precipice
• range
• ridge
• sierra
• tor
• volcano