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Sam Hill

American  

noun

Slang.
  1. hell (used especially in WH-questions as a mild oath expressing exasperation and usually preceded by in orthe ).

    Who in Sam Hill are you?


Etymology

Origin of Sam Hill

1830–40, Sam (originally salmon, variant of Sal(o)mon an oath) + hill, euphemism for hell

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I can’t believe I’m getting my first VMA tonight. I just have one question: What in the Sam Hill were you waiting for?” she said, adding “I’m kidding, I love you MTV, this is amazing.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2025

But the memories have stayed and been recorded by the Museum of London, external-link alongside those of his friend and fellow 1960s ball boy Sam Hill.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2023

Sam Hill, an editor at the technology website Digital Trends, has penned 647 articles about Wordle.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2023

Attorney Sam Hill, who is representing Beth, rejected allegations in the lawsuit as false and said in a statement to multiple media outlets he would move to have the complaint thrown out.

From Washington Post • Oct. 16, 2021

“What in the Sam Hill is that noise?” she said.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

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