mountain

mountain — noun

1. a very tall landform that rises high above the ground around it, with steep side

1.nounA1
Definition

a very tall landform that rises high above the ground around it, with steep sides and a pointed or rounded top where snow often settles during cold weather; far bigger than a hill.

Example

The children could see the snowy mountain from their bedroom window.

collocation: snowy mountain

Last summer, Sivan and her father climbed a mountain in the Alps.

collocation: climb a mountain

Common collocations
  • climb a mountain
  • snowy mountain
  • mountain path
  • mountain peak
  • mountain range
  • steep mountain
  • top of the mountain
  • foot of the mountain
Synonyms
  • peak

    focuses on the pointed top of a mountain, or can refer to the mountain itself

  • summit

    specifically the very highest point of a mountain, not the whole landform

  • mount

    used in proper names before the specific name (Mount Everest), not as a general standalone noun

  • height

    literary or formal term for a high place or hill

Antonyms
  • valley

    a low area between mountains or hills

Grammar Patterns

the [mountain]

[mountain] + noun (mountain path, mountain peak)

Usage Note

In proper names of specific peaks, the form 'Mount' is used before the name (Mount Everest, Mount Fuji), while 'mountain' appears after the name or in range names (the Rocky Mountains, the Blue Mountain range).

Common Mistakes

We climbed a small mountain near the village.
We climbed a small hill near the village.
A mountain is much taller and steeper than a hill; use 'hill' for smaller, gentler rises in the land.

2. a very large pile, heap, or quantity of something, often enough to feel overwhel

2.nounB1
Definition

a very large pile, heap, or quantity of something, often enough to feel overwhelming or difficult to manage.

Example

After the holiday, Tara had a mountain of laundry to wash.

pattern: a mountain of + noun

Felipe faced a mountain of paperwork on his first day at work.

Common collocations
  • a mountain of paperwork
  • a mountain of debt
  • a mountain of laundry
  • a mountain of work
  • a mountain of dishes
  • a mountain of emails
Synonyms
  • pile

    more neutral, less dramatic; can be any size, not necessarily overwhelming

  • heap

    suggests a messy, disorganised pile, often physical objects

  • mass

    emphasises the size and weight of the collection, often abstract (a mass of data)

  • mound

    a rounded pile of something, typically smaller scale than a mountain

Antonyms
  • handful

    a very small number or amount

  • bit

    a small piece or amount of something

Grammar Patterns

a mountain of + noun (plural/uncountable)

Usage Note

Almost always used in the pattern 'a mountain of + noun' (a mountain of work, a mountain of problems). The image is of a pile so large that it is daunting to deal with. Uncommon in plural form for this sense.

Common Mistakes

I have a mountain of time this weekend.
I have a mountain of work this weekend.
'A mountain of' is used for things that feel overwhelming or excessive, not for things you have plenty of in a positive way.

3. a very large supply of a food product that a government or trade organisation ke

3.nounC1
Definition

a very large supply of a food product that a government or trade organisation keeps in storage instead of putting it on the market, in order to control prices and prevent them from dropping too low.

Example

The European Union created a butter mountain to support dairy farmers.

compound noun: butter mountain

The government sold part of its grain mountain to bring down food prices.

compound noun: grain mountain

Common collocations
  • butter mountain
  • wine mountain
  • grain mountain
  • milk mountain
  • food mountain
  • create a mountain
  • sell a mountain
  • reduce a mountain
Synonyms
  • stockpile

    more general, can refer to any goods kept in reserve, not limited to food

  • surplus

    focuses on the excess quantity rather than the physical pile; more neutral in tone

  • reserve

    suggests strategic savings for future need, not necessarily an unwanted excess

Antonyms
  • shortage

    a situation where there is not enough of something

  • scarcity

    a lack or insufficiency of supply

Grammar Patterns

[food type] + mountain (butter mountain, wine mountain)

Usage Note

Most commonly found in discussions of European agricultural policy, especially related to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. The term is often used in journalistic writing. Common compound forms include 'butter mountain', 'wine mountain', 'grain mountain', and 'milk mountain'. This sense is not used for ordinary large purchases by individuals.

Common Mistakes

I bought a mountain of rice from the store.
The government stored a mountain of rice to keep prices stable.
This sense describes large-scale food storage for market control, not an ordinary household purchase.
Idioms

make a mountain out of a molehill

idiom

to treat a small, unimportant problem as if it were a very serious or difficult one.

She lost one sock from the pair, but she cried for an hour — she really made a mountain out of a molehill.

Niran accused his brother of making a mountain out of a molehill when he panicked over a tiny scratch on the car door.

move mountains

idiom

to achieve something that seems extremely difficult or nearly impossible, usually through great effort or determination.

With enough determination and hard work, ordinary people can move mountains.

Arjun believed that if the whole community worked together, they could move mountains and build a new school.

Word family

  • mountainous
    adjectiveB2
  • mountaineer
    nounB2
  • mountaineering
    nounB2
  • mountain range
    nounB1
  • mount
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

The core difference between 'mountain' and 'hill' is size and steepness: a mountain is much taller and has steeper sides, though there is no official height cut-off. 'Peak' can refer either to the pointed top of a mountain or to the mountain as a whole when emphasising its shape (a snow-covered peak). 'Summit' is the exact highest point — climbers reach the summit, but they climb a mountain. 'Mount' appears only in proper names placed before the specific name (Mount Fuji, Mount Kilimanjaro) and is not used as a standalone common noun. In everyday conversation, 'mountain' is the broadest and most natural choice: 'We drove through the mountains' sounds right, whereas 'We drove through the peaks' sounds unusual.

mountain ↗hill ↗peak ↗summit ↗mount ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • chain of mountains
  • mountain range
  • foot of the mountain
  • top of the mountain
  • side of the mountain

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'mountain' comes from Old French 'montaigne', which developed from Latin 'montanus' (meaning 'of a mountain'), itself from Latin 'mons' (a mountain). The same Latin root 'mons' gives us 'mount' (used in place names like Mount Everest), 'mountaineer', 'mountainous', and also appears in words like 'paramount' (literally 'to the top of the mountain') and 'surmount' (to climb over). The metaphorical meaning of 'a large pile or quantity' (sense 2) emerged in the 1600s, and the specialised economic meaning (sense 3) became common in the late 20th century in discussions of EU agricultural policy.