Pillars of Hercules

American  

plural noun

1. the two promontories on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar: the Rock of Gibraltar in Europe and the Jebel Musa in Africa; fabled to have been raised by Hercules.

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Pillars of Hercules British  

plural noun

1. the two promontories at the E end of the Strait of Gibraltar: the Rock of Gibraltar on the European side and the Jebel Musa on the African side; according to legend, formed by Hercules

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Pillars of Hercules

Ceuta, perched on an isthmus with a promontory historically considered the lesser of the Pillars of Hercules of antiquity, has been a Spanish possession since 1580.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2022

Sailing towards Africa’s mighty Jebel Musa – the Pillars of Hercules, marking the continents of Africa and Europe.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 4, 2018

The Rock of Gibraltar is part of Plato’s most tantalizing clue: that Atlantis was an island that once sat “in front of the mouth” of the Pillars of Hercules.

From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2015

Now their two peaks form a gate like the Pillars of Hercules, marking a way into a certain kind of American reality, as well as a bit of Sierra backcountry.

From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2014

After all that, they had arrived at the Pillars of Hercules, and Percy had to stay aboard ship while Jason the Big Shot visited his half brother.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan