mound

mound — noun

1. A raised area made from soil, rocks, or other natural materials that rises above

1.nounB1
Definition

A raised area made from soil, rocks, or other natural materials that rises above the surrounding ground, often created by nature or by human activity.

Example

Indra climbed to the top of the ancient burial mound to see the valley below.

collocation: burial mound

Ants had built a small mound of dirt beside the garden wall.

mound of [material] pattern

Common collocations
  • burial mound
  • mound of earth
  • mound of dirt
  • mound of stones
  • grassy mound
Synonyms
  • hill

    A hill is usually taller and more natural; a mound is often smaller or man-made.

  • knoll

    A knoll is a small, round hill above the surrounding ground, often found in open countryside.

  • heap

    A heap is a less structured pile of loose material, while a mound has a smoother, more rounded shape.

Grammar Patterns

mound of + noun

Usage Note

Often used in archaeology for ancient burial sites (burial mound).

2. A large, rounded mass of items or loose material gathered together in one place.

2.nounB1
Definition

A large, rounded mass of items or loose material gathered together in one place.

Example

Darius heaped a huge mound of mashed potatoes onto his plate and added gravy.

collocation: mound of + food

A mound of clean laundry sat on the dining table waiting to be folded.

Common collocations
  • mound of paperwork
  • mound of food
  • mound of snow
  • mound of leaves
  • mound of laundry
Synonyms
  • pile

    A pile can be neat or messy; a mound specifically suggests a rounded, hill-like shape.

  • heap

    A heap suggests a more disorderly, thrown-together collection; a mound is more evenly shaped.

  • stack

    A stack is arranged neatly in layers; a mound is less structured.

Grammar Patterns

a mound of + noun

Usage Note

Typically used for objects or food that are loosely gathered rather than tightly packed. A mound is taller and rounder than a flat pile.

Common Mistakes

There was a mound of water on the floor.
There was a puddle of water on the floor.
Mound is used for solid items, not liquids.

3. The low hill of dirt at the centre of a baseball field where the pitcher stands

3.nounB2
Definition

The low hill of dirt at the centre of a baseball field where the pitcher stands to send the ball toward the batter.

Example

Andrés walked to the mound to take over the pitching in the ninth inning.

The coach visited the mound for a quick word with the pitcher.

baseball context: visit the mound

Common collocations
  • the pitcher's mound
  • step onto the mound
  • visit the mound
  • take the mound

Grammar Patterns

the mound

the pitcher's mound

Usage Note

Almost always used with a definite article (the mound) or as the compound noun pitcher's mound. The word refers specifically to baseball and is not used for other sports.

Common Mistakes

The soccer goalkeeper stood on the mound.
The soccer goalkeeper stood in the goal.
Mound is a baseball term, not used for soccer.

mound — verb

Word family

  • mounded
    adjectiveC1
  • mounding
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Mound, hill, knoll, and heap all describe raised collections of material, but they differ in size, shape, and origin. A mound is typically small to medium-sized, often man-made or created by animals, and has a rounded, smooth shape — for example, an ancient burial mound or an ant mound. A hill is larger and almost always natural, rising noticeably above the surrounding land. A knoll is a small, round hill that stands alone in an open area. A heap, by contrast, is less structured: it suggests loose material thrown together without shaping. You might heap sand into a pile at the beach, but you would not call that heap a mound unless you deliberately smoothed it into a rounded shape. In cooking, you would say 'a mound of mashed potatoes' to describe a neatly rounded serving, whereas 'a heap of mashed potatoes' sounds sloppier.

mound ↗hill ↗knollheap ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a mound of
  • form a mound
  • build a mound
  • shape into a mound
  • step onto the mound

Prepositions

Etymology

Old GermanicMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'mound' entered English in the 16th century, probably from an Old Germanic source related to protection. Its earliest meaning in English was 'a defensive fence or wall' — the same idea as the verb sense 'to enclose or fortify.' Over time, the meaning shifted from the wall itself to the pile of earth used to build it, and then to any raised, rounded heap of material. The baseball sense (the pitcher's mound) appeared around 1912.