tor
noun
a rocky pinnacle; a peak of a bare or rocky mountain or hill.
tor
1 American
[tawr]
/ tɔr /
noun
-
tors
plural
-tor
2
American
tor
British
/ tɔː /
noun
-
a high hill, esp a bare rocky one
-
a prominent rock or heap of rocks, esp on a hill
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tor1
before 900; Middle English; Old English torr < Celtic; compare Irish tor rocky height, Welsh twr heap, pile
Origin of -tor2
< Latin -tor (stem -tōr- ), cognate with Greek -tōr (stem -tor- ), Sanskrit -tar-
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.
See Examples For:
But tor decades Black and Hispanic students have been woefully under-represented, while Asian Americans made up more than 70% of the student body.
From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2023
But it was important enough tor Taylor that he mentioned it in the fifth paragraph of his opening statement.
From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2019
But tor the women here, there’s a feeling that the line between paranoia and credible fear has been erased.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 16, 2018
Safe spaces do not shut down dialogue, and they are not places for students tor retreat when confronted by opposing views; rather, they foster support and inclusion among minority groups.
From New York Times ● Aug. 26, 2016
There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Regrā′ter, -tor, a huckster who buys and sells provisions in the same fair; Regrā′ting.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various
Thou wast the daughter of my tu- -tor, law professor at the U- -niversity of Gottingen, -niversity of Gottingen.
From History of English Humour, Vol. 2 by Alfred Guy Kingan L'Estrange
See -ter, -ther. -tor, the agent, as conductor.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
There’s plenty to love about “Blood of My Blood,” especially a return to the 18th century Highlands, with tartans, castles and craggy tors aplenty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025
From tree-topped tors to man-made monoliths, people shared with BBC News their particular sights - and sites - that means the trip is nearing its end.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2017
Their inves- tors, usually a combination of larger money-management firms and wealthy individuals, presented them with billions of dollars to trade.
From MSNBC ● Jun. 4, 2014
However, the proco requires high-pressure fuel pumps and complex fuel injec tors that must be machined to microscopic tolerances.
From Time Magazine Archive
Exmoor is not generally heather-covered, but its tors and hillsides are clothed with a wiry colourless grass and the hardy, prickly furze.
From Lynton and Lynmouth A Pageant of Cliff & Moorland by John Presland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
