hell

¹

[ hel ]

noun

1. the place or state of punishment of the wicked after death; the abode of evil and condemned spirits; Gehenna or Tartarus.

   Synonyms: inferno

   Antonyms: paradise, heaven

2. any place or state of torment or misery:

   They made their father's life a hell on earth.

   Synonyms: torture, agony, anguish

   Antonyms: paradise, heaven

3. something that causes torment or misery:

   Having that cut stitched without anesthesia was hell.

4. the powers of evil.
5. the abode of the dead; Sheol or Hades.
6. extreme disorder or confusion; chaos:

   The children let both dogs into the house, and all hell broke loose.

7. Informal. something remarkable of its kind (usually used in the phrase a hell of a or one hell of a ):

   That was one hell of a great game.

8. a receptacle into which a tailor throws scraps.
9. Also called hellbox. Printing. a box into which a printer throws discarded type.
10. the utterance of “hell” in swearing or for emphasis.
11. the hell, Informal.
    1. (used as an intensifier to express surprise, anger, impatience, etc., often in the form of a question beginning with a WH-word):

       Why the hell can't the trains run on time?

       How the hell am I supposed to finish this by tomorrow?

    2. (used sarcastically or ironically to express the opposite of what is being stated):

       Are you listening to me? The hell you are!

interjection

1. (used to express surprise, irritation, disgust, etc.)

verb phrase

1. Slang. to live or act in a wild or dissolute manner:

   All they cared about was drinking and helling around.

he'll

²

[ heel; unstressed eel, hil, il ]

1. contraction of he will.

hell

¹

/ hɛl /

noun

1. Christianity sometimes capital
   1. the place or state of eternal punishment of the wicked after death, with Satan as its ruler
   2. forces of evil regarded as residing there
2. sometimes capital (in various religions and cultures) the abode of the spirits of the dead See also Hel Hades Sheol
3. pain, extreme difficulty, etc
4. informal.
   a cause of such difficulty or suffering

   war is hell

5. high spirits or mischievousness

   there's hell in that boy

6. a box used by a tailor for discarded material
7. rare.
   a gambling house, booth, etc
8. as hell
   (intensifier)

   tired as hell

9. for the hell of it informal.
   for the fun of it
10. from hell informal.
    denoting a person or thing that is particularly bad or alarming

    hangover from hell

    neighbour from hell

11. give someone hell informal.
    1. to give someone a severe reprimand or punishment
    2. to be a source of annoyance or torment to someone
12. hell of a or helluva informal.
    (intensifier)

    a hell of a good performance

13. hell for leather
    at great speed
14. hell or high water or come hell or high water informal.
    whatever difficulties may arise
15. hell to pay informal.
    serious consequences, as of a foolish action
16. like hell informal.
    1. adverb (intensifier)

       he works like hell

    2. an expression of strong disagreement with a previous statement, request, order, etc
17. play hell with or play merry hell with informal.
    to throw into confusion and disorder; disrupt
18. raise hell
    1. to create a noisy disturbance, as in fun
    2. to react strongly and unfavourably
19. the hell informal.

    the hell I will

    1. (intensifier) used in such phrases as what the hell, who the hell, etc
    2. an expression of strong disagreement or disfavour

interjection

1. informal.
   an exclamation of anger, annoyance, surprise, etc (Also in exclamations such as hell's bells, hell's teeth, etc)

he'll

²

/ ɪl; hɪl; iːl; hiːl /

contraction of

1. he will or he shall

hell

1. The dwelling place of Satan , devils , and wicked souls condemned to eternal punishment after death; a place of pain and torment. ( Compare heaven .)

Usage Note

See contraction.

Other Words From

• hell-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hell¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English hel(l); cognate with Old High German hell(i)a ( German Hölle ), Old Norse hel, Gothic halja; akin to Old English helan “to cover, hide,” and to hull ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of hell¹

Old English hell; related to helan to cover, Old Norse hel, Gothic halja hell, Old High German hella

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. be hell on, Slang.
   1. to be unpleasant to or painful for:

      These shoes are hell on my poor feet.

   2. to be harmful to:

      These country roads are hell on tires.

2. for the hell of it, Informal.
   1. to see what will happen; for adventure, fun, excitement, etc.:

      For the hell of it, let's just get on the next bus and see where it takes us.

   2. with no particular purpose; for no special reason:

      I called him up for the hell of it, and he offered me a job.

3. get / catch hell, Slang. to suffer a scolding; receive a harsh reprimand:

   We'll get hell from our parents if we stay out late again.

4. give someone hell, Informal. to reprimand or reproach severely.
5. go to hell in a handbasket, Informal. handbasket ( def 2 ).
6. hell on wheels, Slang. extremely demanding, fast-paced, aggressive, effective, or the like:

   The new job is hell on wheels. Our sales staff is hell on wheels when it comes to getting the most out of every account.

7. like hell, Informal.
   1. with great speed, effort, intensity, etc.:

      We ran like hell to get home before the storm. She tried like hell to get him to change his mind.

   2. (used sarcastically or ironically to express the opposite of what is being stated):

      He says the motor will never break down? Like hell it won't!

8. play hell with, Slang. to deal recklessly with; bring injury or harm to:

   Snowstorms played hell with the flow of city traffic.

9. raise hell, Slang.
   1. to indulge in wild celebration.
   2. to create an uproar; object violently to:

      She'll raise hell when she sees what your rabbit has done to her garden.

10. the / to hell with, Informal. (used to express dismissal, rejection, contempt, disappointment, or the like):

    If we have to walk five miles to see the view, the hell with it! He wouldn't even speak to me, so to hell with him!

11. what the hell, Informal. (used to express lack of concern or worry, indifference, abandonment, surrender, etc.):

    As long as you're borrowing $100, what the hell, borrow $200.

More idioms and phrases containing hell

• (all hell) break loose
• devil (hell) of a
• for the hell of it
• give someone hell
• go to hell
• hot as hell
• like a bat out of hell
• like hell
• mad as a hornet (hell)
• not a hope in hell
• raise Cain (hell)
• road to hell is paved with good intentions
• shot to hell
• snowball's chance in hell
• till hell freezes over
• to hell and gone
• to hell with
• what the hell

Example Sentences

"There were a hell of a lot of black people and Latinos who voted for him in the election."

From BBC

“We would look at each other like, ‘What the hell is he talking about?’”

From Los Angeles Times

At the penthouse bar at the luxurious Kimberly Hotel on East 50th Street in Manhattan, some reporters were told to “Go to hell” and others from conservative outlets were welcomed.

From Salon

I said to myself, we are in hell.

From Salon

“Maybe they’re wrong. But if this is it, then it’s been one hell of a ride.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• inferno
• misery
• nightmare
• purgatory