hill

1 of 2

noun

ˈhil 

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

: slope, incline

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

Synonyms

Noun

• ascent
• incline
• climb
• uphill

Verb

• mound
• pile
• stack
• bank

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

Noun

Just as runners map their route to avoid unnecessary hills or dangerous intersections, project leaders must anticipate obstacles and plan alternative pathways. —Sarah Edwards, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

If finding indoor shelter is not an option: Avoid open fields, the top of a hill, or a ridge top. —Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2025

Verb

This process is called hilling and creates an area of loose soil where tubers easily form while being shaded from the sun. —Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Feb. 2025

For the best potato harvest, hill the potato plants again two to three weeks later. —Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Feb. 2025

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

Phrases Containing hill

• a hill of beans
• hill climb
• hill mynah
• over-the-hill

Rhymes for hill

• bill
• brill
• chill
• drill
• fil
• fill
• frill
• gill
• grill
• grille
• jill
• kill

Kids Definition

hill

1 of 2 noun

ˈhil 

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)

ˈhil 

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