hill

hill — noun

1. a raised part of the ground that rises higher than the nearby area but is not as

1.nounB1
Definition

a raised part of the ground that rises higher than the nearby area but is not as tall as a mountain

Example

The children ran all the way up the hill behind their house.

collocation: up the hill / down the hill

From the top of the hill, you can see the whole town below.

Common collocations
  • steep hill
  • gentle hill
  • climb a hill
  • top of a hill
  • foot of a hill
  • on a hill
  • over the hill
Synonyms
  • hillock

    a very small hill; less common in everyday speech

  • mound

    a small rounded hill, often man-made

  • height

    formal term for a high place or hill

Antonyms
  • valley

    the low land between hills or mountains

  • plain

    a large flat area of land with no hills

Common Mistakes

They climbed the hill, which was very high like a mountain.
They climbed the hill, which was lower and smaller than a mountain.
A hill is naturally smaller than a mountain; learners sometimes use 'hill' and 'mountain' interchangeably.

2. a part of a road or path that goes upward at an angle

2.nounB1
Definition

a part of a road or path that goes upward at an angle

Example

Tariq's car slowed down as it went up the steep hill.

collocation: steep hill

Trang had to get off her bicycle and push it up the hill.

collocation: push a bike up a hill

Common collocations
  • steep hill
  • sharp hill
  • long hill
  • push up a hill
  • coast down a hill
Synonyms
  • slope

    more general; can refer to any angled surface, not just roads

  • incline

    more formal than 'slope'; used especially in technical contexts

Antonyms
  • dip

    a part of a road that goes downward

  • descent

    a downward slope on a road

3. the Washington D.C. location of the US Capitol building; a way of talking about

3.nounB2
Definition

the Washington D.C. location of the US Capitol building; a way of talking about the US Congress and the political work that happens there

Example

The new education bill faces strong opposition on Capitol Hill.

collocation: on Capitol Hill

Reporters on the Hill waited for the senator to announce her decision.

Common collocations
  • on the Hill
  • Capitol Hill staff
  • the Hill
Synonyms
  • Congress

    the full legislative body; broader than 'the Hill'

  • Washington

    can refer to the US government in general, not just the legislature

Usage Note

Often shortened to 'the Hill'. When used this way, it refers to the US Congress as a whole rather than the physical location.

4. a small pile of earth, stones, or other material, especially when made by people

4.nounB2
Definition

a small pile of earth, stones, or other material, especially when made by people rather than formed by nature

Example

The gardener made a small hill of soil for each tomato plant.

collocation: hill of soil

Ants had built a tiny hill of sand near the edge of the path.

Common collocations
  • hill of earth
  • hill of soil
  • hill of sand
  • make a hill
Synonyms
  • mound

    very similar, often interchangeable; 'mound' may suggest a larger or more rounded shape

  • heap

    a pile of something, often less organized than a hill or mound

Usage Note

This sense is most common in gardening and farming contexts, where a hill of earth is created around plants.

5. Archibald Vivian Hill (1886–1977), an English physiologist who won the Nobel Pri

5.noun
Definition

Archibald Vivian Hill (1886–1977), an English physiologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1922 for his discoveries about heat production in muscles

Example

Archibald Vivian Hill won a Nobel Prize for his work on how muscles produce heat.

surname used as biographical reference

A. V. Hill is remembered for his studies on how energy moves through working muscles.

Usage Note

Used as a surname. This entry refers to the scientist A. V. Hill.

6. James Jerome Hill (1838–1916), a Canadian-born American financier who built a ma

6.noun
Definition

James Jerome Hill (1838–1916), a Canadian-born American financier who built a major railway network across the northern United States

Example

James Jerome Hill built a large railway network across the northern United States.

surname used as biographical reference

J. J. Hill started with almost nothing and became one of the richest men in America.

Usage Note

Used as a surname. This entry refers to the railway financier known as the 'Empire Builder'.

7. Sir Rowland Hill (1795–1879), an English teacher and postal reformer who created

7.noun
Definition

Sir Rowland Hill (1795–1879), an English teacher and postal reformer who created the modern postal system with low-cost prepaid stamps

Example

Sir Rowland Hill created the modern postal stamp system in Britain.

surname used as biographical reference

Before Rowland Hill, sending a letter was very expensive for ordinary people.

Usage Note

Used as a surname. This entry refers to the postal reformer.

8. Ambrose Powell Hill (1825–1865), an American Confederate general during the Civi

8.noun
Definition

Ambrose Powell Hill (1825–1865), an American Confederate general during the Civil War, known for commanding troops in major battles

Example

Ambrose Powell Hill was a Confederate general killed in the final days of the Civil War.

surname used as biographical reference

General A. P. Hill fought in many important battles of the American Civil War.

Usage Note

Used as a surname. This entry refers to the Confederate military officer.

Idioms

over the hill

idiom

no longer young; often used humorously to say that someone is too old to be useful, attractive, or able to do things well

Some people think that once you turn fifty, you are over the hill, but that is simply not true.

Adaeze laughed when her nephew said she was over the hill — she had just run a marathon.

as old as the hills

idiom

Something that has existed for a very long time.

My grandmother's recipe for bread is as old as the hills.

That legend about the forest is as old as the hills.

a hill of beans

idiom

Something that has little value or importance.

His opinion on the matter is a hill of beans to me.

The money they offered was a hill of beans compared to the cost.

hill — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe rises or slopes in the land, but they differ in size, shape, and naturalness. A hill is a natural landform that is higher than the ground around it but not as high as a mountain — for example, the hills you might walk up in the countryside. A mountain is much taller, steeper, and rockier, often with snow at the top. A hillock is a very small hill, often used in literary descriptions or by hikers. A mound can be natural or man-made, and is usually more rounded and symmetrical than a hill — think of a burial mound or a mound of earth in a garden. A slope is any surface that goes up or down at an angle; it does not have to be a landform on its own (a road can have a slope). In everyday speech, if you are walking in nature, you are most likely to call a feature a hill; if you describe a pile of dirt in your yard, mound is the better choice.

hill ↗mountain ↗hillockmound ↗slope

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

Prepositions

  • on a hill
  • over a hill
  • up a hill
  • down a hill
  • across the hills
  • at the foot of a hill

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Hill comes from the Old English word 'hyll', which goes back to a Proto-Germanic root '*hulliz'. This same ancient root is also the source of Latin 'collis' (hill) and 'celer' (swift, literally 'rising'), from which English gets 'excel' and 'celebrate'. The original Indo-European meaning was 'to rise up' or 'to be elevated'. Hill has been part of English for over a thousand years and has stayed very close to its original meaning.