foothill

noun

foot·​hill ˈfu̇t-ˌhil 

1

: a hill at the foot of higher hills

2

foothills plural : a hilly region at the base of a mountain range

Examples of foothill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are countless other chullpas (round, stone structures that look something between a massive pizza oven and a small lighthouse) that house ancient remains, just dotting the foothills of the mountains here. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026

After being rebuffed by communities in the South, Keaton came to Oregon with his scouts and saw the timber town of Cottage Grove had a short line railroad that went into the foothills of the Cascades. — Brian Bull, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026

Growing up in the foothills of eastern Kentucky as a compulsive reader and full-time hillbilly, I was instinctively attracted, like most literary-minded country folk, to the work of essayist, novelist, and poet, Wendell Berry. — Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026

That didn’t stop catastrophes like the 2018 fire in the Sierra foothills that destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85. — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for foothill

• anthill
• backfill
• bluegill
• crossbill
• distil
• distill
• downhill
• dunghill
• fulfil
• fulfill
• goodwill
• gristmill

Kids Definition

foothill

noun

foot·​hill -ˌhil 

: a hill at the foot of higher hills or mountains