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hill

HIL/hɪl/

Pluralhills

6 meanings of hill

Practice

  1. 1
    raised landnouncountable
    A raised area of land, higher than its surroundings but smaller than a mountain.

    The old farmhouse stood on a gentle hill overlooking the valley.

    Hikers climbed several hills before reaching the ridge.

    UsageThings stand on a hill or at the top of it; people walk up or down a hill.

    Similarrise, knoll, height, elevation, mound

    Oppositevalley, hollow, depression

    Note

    The oldest sense, and the one every other use grows from. Size is the usual dividing line in use: a hill is what a walker climbs, a mountain what a climber does.

  2. 2
    sloping roadnouncountable
    A section of road that slopes upward or downward.

    The truck slowed as it ground up the long hill.

    Cyclists dread the hills on this winding route.

    Similarslope, incline, grade, gradient, climb

  3. 3
    baseball moundnouncountable
    In baseball, the raised mound of dirt from which the pitcher delivers the ball.

    The veteran took the hill to a standing ovation from the home crowd.

    The manager pulled the starter and sent a reliever to the hill.

    UsageUsually with the: a pitcher takes the hill, and a manager sends a reliever to the hill.

    Similarmound

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    verbtransitive
    To heap earth or other material into a mound, especially around the base of plants.

    Experienced growers hill their celery to keep the stalks pale and tender.

    She hilled the beans after the first heavy rain.

    UsageOften hill up. The object can be the soil drawn up or the plant it surrounds: hill the soil, hill the beans.

    Similarmound, bank

    Note

    Gene Weltfish's The Lost Universe (1965) describes how, after planting, "the earth was hilled up all around into a smooth little mound."

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Gene Weltfish wrote The Lost Universe, first published in 1965. openlibrary.org
    • The book contains the quoted wording and describes the earth being mounded after seeds were planted. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 5
    nounUScountable
    In gardening, a small mound of earth heaped around the base of a plant or a cluster of plants, such as potatoes or squash.

    Each potato plant sat at the center of its own hill of loose soil.

    Farmers form hills to keep the roots covered.

    Similarmound, heap

    Note

    An American gardening use, where the word shrinks from a landscape to a mound a hand can make. It is the result of the verb for earthing up plants: a grower hills a plant, and what stands around its base afterward is a hill.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

  3. 6
    noun
    On a vinyl record, the raised portion of the grooved playing surface.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of hill apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

A Proto-Indo-European root meaning top, hill, or rock led to Proto-Germanic *hulliz, then Old English "hyll" (hill) and Middle English "hil." Relatives include Latin "collis" (hill), Old Norse "hóll," and Russian "холм" (xolm, hill).