mountain
noun
a natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2,000 feet (610 meters).
Trivia Time
What is Earth's tallest mountain when measured from base to peak?
mountain
American
[maun-tn]
/ ˈmaʊn tn /
noun
-
mountains
plural
-
a natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2,000 feet (610 meters).
-
a large mass of something resembling this, as in shape or size.
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a huge amount.
a mountain of incoming mail.
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(initial capital letter) a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck.
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Also called mountain wine. British Archaic. a sweet Malaga wine.
adjective
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of or relating to mountains.
mountain air.
-
living, growing, or located in the mountains.
mountain people.
-
resembling or suggesting a mountain, as in size.
idioms
Mountain
1
British
/ ˈmaʊntɪn /
noun
mountain
2
British
/ ˈmaʊntɪn /
noun
-
-
a natural upward projection of the earth's surface, higher and steeper than a hill and often having a rocky summit
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( as modifier )
mountain people
mountain scenery
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( in combination )
a mountaintop
-
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a huge heap or mass
a mountain of papers
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anything of great quantity or size
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a surplus of a commodity, esp in the European Union
the butter mountain
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informal a serious or considerable difficulty or obstruction to overcome
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See molehill
mountain
Scientific
/ moun′tən /
mountain
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mountain
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English mountaine, from Old French montaigne, from Vulgar Latin montānea (unrecorded), noun use of feminine of montāneus (unrecorded), from Latin montān(us) “mountainous” (from mont-, stem of mōns “hill, mountain” + -ānus -an ) + -eus, adjective suffix
Explanation
A mountain is a large and often steep landmass that's much higher than the surrounding area. It's not to be confused with a molehill. The word mountain has been around since the 1200s. A mountain is much larger than an average hill; it's a mass of land that rises up to 2000 feet or so. Mountain does not always describe a land mass. It can also be used to refer to an undertaking, a pile of something, or even a large dose of trouble. You might have a mountain of mashed potatoes you don't want to eat, or a mountain of homework.
Vocabulary lists containing mountain
Physical Geography - Introductory
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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Physical Geography - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
New routes to the mountain town have yet to be announced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The original results still held: 30 years later, the mountain ash in the large cleared patches and clearfelled areas was vigorous and abundant.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Bogong moths are thought to help plants spread pollen and are also a key food source for the mountain pygmy possum, a critically endangered cave-dwelling marsupial.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
The Scott River, which flows out of mountain forests into a broad valley near the California-Oregon border, provides vital habitat for salmon that swim upstream from the ocean to spawn in the fall and winter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
It was pretty around Daisy’s playhouse; especially, in the early spring when the dogwoods, redbuds, and mountain flowers were blooming.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
“We’re planning our purchasing down 18%,” says Fleisher about next summer’s plans, wearing a James Perse T-shirt and Maison Margiela sneakers, on a rooftop overlooking tree-lined Aspen Mountain in August.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Hunched over a desk in the Mountain State Spotlight newsroom in Charleston, West Virginia, pen in hand, we scrawled out official notice of our new school in a spiral-bound notebook.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Suncor operates a refinery in Colorado, while ExxonMobil has deep ties to the Rocky Mountain state.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Nope,” my friend said as he downed his Mountain Dew and we both gorged on Sun Chips.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
‘But Renn,’ said Torak patiently, ‘that’s the shortest way to the Mountain.’
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
As in other resort towns, hotels and ski mountains were charging dizzying rates to keep up with operational costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The Doubs river rises in the French Jura mountains and normally forms a lake at Les Brenets, where it begins to mark the border between France's Franche-Comte region and Switzerland's Neuchatel canton.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
But this year, it was extremely warm and the surrounding mountains got mostly rain and almost no snow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Despite getting millions of view on their social media channels, Daniel said his son is still as humble as ever, and he reminds him all he has done is "walk up a few mountains".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
I don’t care how many mountains I have to move, or stars I need to realign—one day, I, Lala Russell, will make it happen.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
