1
as in piles
a quantity of things thrown or stacked on one another
the ants made little hills of dirt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in mounds
an area of high ground
a town nestled in a valley surrounded by green hills
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in inclines
an upward slope
I got stuck behind a truck going up a hill in a no-passing zone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in banks
to form into a pile or ridge of earth
hilled peat moss around the rosebushes to protect them from the freeze
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of hills
Skyli Alvarez, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 May 2026
Rolling hills, vineyards and timber detailing give the estate its pastoral charm—all just a 90-minute drive from Sydney.
—Natalie Hoberman, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Dix Park Sprawling 308 acres across the hills just southwest of downtown, Dix Park (named for 19th-century activist Dorothea Dix) is a vast urban green space laced with walking trails, open fields, and skyline views.
—Kristy Tolley, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026
Without a line in the hills, the fire ran downslope and jumped to homes—unchecked through the cul-de-sacs below.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Give watermelons an extra boost of nutrients by creating melon pits instead of hills and planting seeds directly in the pits.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2026
Wearing a hardhat and yellow safety vest, Starace stood Tuesday in a trench cut into the hills across the river from New York City.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
The colors also evoke hazy Los Angeles skies, hills and buildings seen from a distance.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
It’s surrounded by nickel mines, deforested hills and exposed red dirt.
—NPR, 7 May 2026
Noun
Natural fibers and hues of terracotta and maple decorate the property’s 134 rooms, which either face the beach or the hills.
—Skyli Alvarez, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 May 2026
Rolling hills, vineyards and timber detailing give the estate its pastoral charm—all just a 90-minute drive from Sydney.
—Natalie Hoberman, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Dix Park Sprawling 308 acres across the hills just southwest of downtown, Dix Park (named for 19th-century activist Dorothea Dix) is a vast urban green space laced with walking trails, open fields, and skyline views.
—Kristy Tolley, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026
Without a line in the hills, the fire ran downslope and jumped to homes—unchecked through the cul-de-sacs below.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Give watermelons an extra boost of nutrients by creating melon pits instead of hills and planting seeds directly in the pits.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2026
Wearing a hardhat and yellow safety vest, Starace stood Tuesday in a trench cut into the hills across the river from New York City.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
The colors also evoke hazy Los Angeles skies, hills and buildings seen from a distance.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
It’s surrounded by nickel mines, deforested hills and exposed red dirt.
—NPR, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hills
Noun
-
Many commencement speakers are given honorary degrees, but the prestige associated with such matters has declined over the years; six-figure piles of cash surely seem more useful than an ersatz doctorate given to an accomplished alumnus or once-local homegirl.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
-
Most earwig problems begin outside, where damp piles of leaves, firewood or other debris create an attractive environment for the insects.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Cooking utensils and small mounds of clothes are kept in plastic bags or heaped on the ground.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
16 May 2026
-
And intriguing earthen mounds, built by prehistoric Native Americans more than 1,000 years ago, dot Greenwood Village interpretive site.—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Between slick tiles and steep inclines, locals rely on comfortable, supportive shoes—usually sleek sneakers, sturdy flats, or low-profile sandals.—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The story follows struggling creatives navigating debt, eviction threats and a precarious gig economy, visualized in Riley’s inventive style — from looming piles of eviction notices to characters literally struggling up and down steep inclines that mirror the instability of their lives.—
Deborah Sengupta Stith,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Four minute into the game, Pop Isaacs banks a 3-pointer to put the Aggies ahead 8-4.—
Joseph Duarte,
Houston Chronicle,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The group banks its seventh champ total.—
Pamela Bustios,
Billboard,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
It is still barely decorated, just a corkboard pinned with photos of the boys and a folding table covered with stacks of reports.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Traditional three-tier applications are being augmented with agentic stacks.—
Shailesh Manjrekar,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
This beachfront location overlooking the iconic Hanalei Bay, with the waterfall-striated Hihimanu, Nāmolokama, and Māmalahoa mountains in the distance, has to be one of the prettiest on the planet.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
-
Covering roughly 260 kilometers from Glasgow to the west coast of Scotland, the West Highland Line is one of the most beautiful routes in the world, offering an ever-changing landscape of rugged mountains, mirror-like lochs, and remote moorlands.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Hikers should be prepared for steep ascents and descents, uneven terrain, and high altitude conditions.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2026
-
But their twin ascents could not have been foreseen based on fair-to-middlin’ careers with the Bay Area schools.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Like generations of potential treatments before it, KRSA-028 is designed to break down a protein called amyloid that clumps up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.—
Allison DeAngelis,
STAT,
18 Feb. 2026
-
However, sometimes the abnormal IgA (the antibody that clumps up and causes problems) does run in families.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hills. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
