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

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

In place of the ivory tower, James gravitated to the pub, the celebrated Pillars of Hercules – centre of the 1970s Grub Street of Ian Hamilton, Karl Miller and Terry Kilmartin.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 5, 2013

To the Greeks and Romans, the Pillars of Hercules were the proverbial end of the world.

From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2012

One of Galileo’s opponents, Lodovico delle Colombe, complained in 1610/11 that Galileo behaved like someone setting sail on the ocean, heading out past the Pillars of Hercules and crying, ‘Plus ultra!’

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton