hill

1 of 2

noun

1
: a usually rounded natural elevation of land lower than a mountain
2
: an artificial heap or mound (as of earth)
3
: several seeds or plants planted in a group rather than a row
4

hill

2 of 2

verb

hilled; hilling; hills

transitive verb

1
: to form into a heap
2
: to draw earth around the roots or base of
hiller noun

Examples of hill in a Sentence

Noun She watched the sun set behind the hills. The house was built at the very top of the hill. Our driveway is a long, steep hill. He came barreling down the hill at 65 miles per hour. The plows came and cleared the streets, forming a hill of snow on the street corner. Verb hilled peat moss around the rosebushes to protect them from the freeze
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Down the hill toward Yellow Creek, Reeder pulled out a measuring tape at the base of one particularly large Douglas fir. April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024 Earlier in the week, the couple escorted two reporters down the hill. Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
Verb
That’s something Mamaw used to say to describe her or her family … hill people or hillbillies. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 15 July 2024 This driveline has terrain response control with selectable driving and off road modes, low traction launch and hill decent control, and a dynamic air suspension system with automatic access height with adaptive dynamics. Tony Leopardo, The Mercury News, 7 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for hill 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hyll; akin to Latin collis hill, culmen top

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hill was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near hill

Cite this Entry

“Hill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hill. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

hill

1 of 2 noun
1
: a usually rounded height of land lower than a mountain
2
: an artificial heap or mound (as of earth)
3
: several seeds or plants planted in a group rather than a row
a hill of beans

hill

2 of 2 verb
1
: to form into a heap
2
: to draw earth around the roots or base of

Biographical Definition

Hill 1 of 4

biographical name (1)

Ambrose Powell 1825–1865 American Confederate general

Hill

2 of 4

biographical name (2)

Archibald Vivian 1886–1977 English physiologist

Hill

3 of 4

biographical name (3)

James Jerome 1838–1916 American (Canadian-born) financier

Hill

4 of 4

biographical name (4)

Sir Rowland 1795–1879 English postal reformer

More from Merriam-Webster on hill

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!