hell of a
idiom
informal + somewhat impolite
1
—used to make a statement more forceful
It was one hell of a good fight.
He is one hell of a nice guy.
2
: very good
She's a hell of a player.
3
: very bad or difficult
We've been having a hell of a time trying to finish on schedule.
This is a hell of a mess we're in.
Examples of hell of a in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But as with the dismantling of huge swaths of our research capacity, this refusal to even consider this mRNA flu vaccine on what are obviously ideological grounds is going to affect a hell of a lot more people than just the cranks who agree with them.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
The movie gives her a hell of a role.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
Everyone on Team Canada is a hell of a hockey player, and Cooper will have several decisions to make as things evolve over the next two weeks.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The family all do a hell of a job.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hell of a
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.
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
The movie gives her a hell of a role.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
Everyone on Team Canada is a hell of a hockey player, and Cooper will have several decisions to make as things evolve over the next two weeks.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The family all do a hell of a job.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hell of a
Cite this Entry
“Hell of a.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hell%20of%20a. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
