1
b
Christian Science
: error sense 2b, sin
2
a
: a place or state of misery, torment, or wickedness
war is hell—
W. T. Sherman
W. T. Sherman
b
: a place or state of turmoil or destruction
all hell broke loose
d
: unrestrained fun or sportiveness
the kids were full of hell
—often used in the phrase for the hell of it especially to suggest action on impulse or without a serious motivedecided to go for the hell of it
e
: an extremely unpleasant and often inescapable situation
rush-hour hell
3
archaic
: a tailor's receptacle
4
—used as an interjection
hell, I don't know!
or as an intensivehurts like hell
funny as hell
—often used in the phrase hell of ait was one hell of a good fight
or hell out ofscared the hell out of him
or with the or inmoved way the hell up north
what in hell is wrong, now?
Phrases
from hell
: being the worst or most dreadful of its kind
a vacation from hell
: very hard on or destructive to
the constant traveling is hell on your digestive system
: difficulties of whatever kind or size
will stand by her convictions come hell or high water
: dire consequences
if he's late there'll be hell to pay
—used interjectionally to express a lack of concern about consequences or risks
it might cost him half his estate … but what the hell—N. W. Aldrich born 1935
N. W. Aldrich born 1935
Examples of hell in a Sentence
Getting the loan approved was pure hell.
He went through hell during his divorce.
She had to go through hell to get where she is today.
Living with the disease can be a hell on earth.
The pain has made her life a living hell.
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s the moral calculus: War is hell, and any depiction of it should be tinted with the reality of violence and death.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
The violence is brutal, whether that’s a tense sniper battle on a country backroad or an explosive final assault in the streets of D.C. War is hell, the film reminds us over and over again.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
All but a few medieval European tapestries are sent to art hell for the sin of trying to be too much like paintings.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Trump, meanwhile, is busy fighting a legal hell, bleeding his friends dry to have his back on personal matters, and scamming his loyalists on stock prices that hinge on him simultaneously winning the White House and not cashing out as soon as his six-month golden handcuffs expire.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Time after time, this damn disease was beaten back to hell by a man who had no give-up in him, a man who should be a Hall of Famer, a man who did so much for three of the game’s franchises.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
Israeli officials promise to 'open the gates of hell,' and the massacres in Gaza have already commenced.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Summer will be hell for ordinary Cubans, and transportation will remain at its worst.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Democrats used sh-- 161 times and hell 620 times, while Republicans used sh-- 70 times and hell 472 times.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
The violence is brutal, whether that’s a tense sniper battle on a country backroad or an explosive final assault in the streets of D.C. War is hell, the film reminds us over and over again.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
All but a few medieval European tapestries are sent to art hell for the sin of trying to be too much like paintings.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Trump, meanwhile, is busy fighting a legal hell, bleeding his friends dry to have his back on personal matters, and scamming his loyalists on stock prices that hinge on him simultaneously winning the White House and not cashing out as soon as his six-month golden handcuffs expire.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Time after time, this damn disease was beaten back to hell by a man who had no give-up in him, a man who should be a Hall of Famer, a man who did so much for three of the game’s franchises.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
Israeli officials promise to 'open the gates of hell,' and the massacres in Gaza have already commenced.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Summer will be hell for ordinary Cubans, and transportation will remain at its worst.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Democrats used sh-- 161 times and hell 620 times, while Republicans used sh-- 70 times and hell 472 times.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hell
Cite this Entry
“Hell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hell. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hell
noun1
: a place where souls are believed to survive after death
2
: the place or state of punishment for the wicked after death : the home of evil spirits
3
: a place or condition of misery or wickedness
4
: a place or state of great confusion, disorder, or destruction : havoc, pandemonium
5
: something that causes torment
especially
: a severe scolding
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