English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

hijacking

noun

The act of illegally seizing control of a vehicle or taking over a process for another purpose.

hijinks

noun

Lively, mischievous fun and boisterous goings-on — the kind of harmless misbehaviour that makes a good story afterwards.

Hijo

name

A surname and word of Spanish origin, meaning "son," occasionally used as a family name.

Hikari

name

A Japanese female given name.

Hikaru

name

A unisex Japanese given name.

hike

noun

A long walk taken for pleasure or exercise, usually outdoors.

hiker

noun

A person who goes hiking, especially as a regular activity.

hiking

noun

The activity of walking long distances outdoors, typically on trails, for pleasure or exercise.

hilarious

adj

Extremely funny; causing loud laughter.

hilarity

noun

Great fun and enjoyment, usually with a lot of laughing.

Hilary

name

A unisex given name derived from the Latin "hilaris," meaning "cheerful."

Hilda

name

A feminine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "battle."

Hildegard

name

A feminine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "battle stronghold," notably borne by the medieval abbess Hildegard of Bingen.

hildegarde

name

A female forename from the Germanic languages, a variant of Hildegard.

hilding

noun

A person who is looked down on as worthless.

Hildy

name

A feminine given name, typically a diminutive of Hilda or Hildegard.

hill

noun

A raised area of land, smaller and less steep than a mountain.

Hillary

name

A unisex given name and surname, a variant spelling of Hilary, meaning "cheerful."

hillbilly

noun

(often informal or disparaging) A person from a rural, hilly area, especially the southern United States, stereotyped as unsophisticated.

Hilliard

name

An English surname, derived from the medieval feminine name Hildegard.

hillman

noun

Someone who lives in hilly or mountainous country.

hillock

name

A surname of Middle English origin.

Hills

noun

Plural of hill: raised areas of land, smaller than mountains.

hillside

noun

The sloping side of a hill.

hillsman

noun

A man from a tribe that lives in the hills.

hillspeople

noun

The people belonging to a tribe that lives in the hills.

hilltop

noun

The highest point of a hill.

hillwalking

noun

The hobby of walking across hills and hilly land.

hilly

adj

Having many hills; not flat.

hilt

noun

The handle of a sword or knife, including the grip and guard.

Hilton

name

An English surname and place name meaning "settlement on a hill," widely known through the Hilton hotel chain.

him

pron

The object form of "he" — used for a male person or animal already mentioned.

Himalayan

adj

Relating to the Himalayas, the mountain range in Asia.

Himalayas

name

A major mountain range in Asia, home to the world's highest peaks including Mount Everest.

Himanshu

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "moon."

himbo

noun

An attractive, muscular man who is not very bright but is good-natured and kind with it.

himmaleh

name

Synonym of Himalayas: the Central Asian mountain range.

Himmler

name

A German surname, historically associated with Heinrich Himmler, a senior Nazi official during World War II.

himself

pron

The reflexive form of "he" — used when a male subject and object are the same person.

hin

noun

An ancient Hebrew unit of liquid measure, roughly 3.8 litres.

Hinata

name

A unisex Japanese given name meaning "place in the sun" or "sunny spot."

hind

adj

Located at or toward the back, especially of an animal's body.

Hindenburg

name

A German surname, historically borne by President Paul von Hindenburg and the name of the airship that famously caught fire in 1937.

hinder

verb

To make something more difficult or slow to accomplish; to get in the way of.

hinderance

noun

An archaic spelling of hindrance.

hindering

adj

Getting in the way; causing delay or difficulty.

Hindi

noun

A major language of India, one of its official languages, written in the Devanagari script.

Hindley

name

An English surname and place name meaning "clearing frequented by hinds (female deer)."

hindlook

noun

A glance or thought back over something that has happened.

hindoo

noun

An archaic spelling of Hindu.

hindrance

noun

Something that gets in the way or slows progress; an obstacle.

hindsight

noun

The understanding you gain about a past event only after it has happened.

hindsightly

adj

Relating to hindsight; looking back on events after they happen.

Hindu

noun

A follower of Hinduism, a major religion originating in India.

hindudom

noun

The Hindu nation; the land belonging to Hindu people, India.

Hinduism

noun

A major religion and way of life originating in India, marked by belief in reincarnation and many forms of a single divine reality.

hinduland

noun

A country or area where most people follow Hinduism.

Hindustan

noun

A historical name for India, or for the northern region of the Indian subcontinent.

hindustani

adj

Connected with India, a term that has historically meant anywhere from the whole subcontinent to just the northern plains around the Ganges and Jumna.

Hines

name

An English and Irish surname, and the name of several small communities in the United States.

hing

noun

Asafoetida, a pungent spice used mainly in South Asian cooking.

hinge

noun

A jointed device that lets a door, lid, or gate swing open and closed.

Hinkle

name

An American surname, also the name of small communities in Kentucky and Oregon.

hinky

adj

Suspicious or slightly off, as if something isn't right.

hinny

noun

An animal born to a male horse and a female donkey.

Hino

name

A city in Tokyo Prefecture, Japan.

hint

noun

A small clue or suggestion that helps someone understand or guess something.

hinterland

noun

The area of land lying just inland from a coastline.

hinting

noun

The act of giving an indirect suggestion or clue.

hip

noun

The joint and surrounding area where the leg meets the pelvis.

hippie

noun

A person, especially from the 1960s counterculture, who rejected mainstream values in favour of peace, communal living, and free self-expression.

hippins

noun

Nappies worn by babies.

hippocampus

noun

A curved structure deep inside the brain that plays a key role in forming memories.

Hippocratic

adj

Relating to Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician regarded as the father of medicine.

hippodrome

noun

A stadium or arena originally built for horse and chariot racing.

hippogriff

noun

a mythical beast, half griffin and half horse, supposedly the offspring of a griffin and a filly.

hippopotamine

adj

Like a hippopotamus in size or manner: big, round and self-indulgent.

hippopotamus

noun

A large, thick-skinned African mammal that spends much of its time in rivers and lakes.

hippotaur

noun

A mythical being that is part bull and part horse.

hippy

adj

Having wide or prominent hips.

hipster

noun

Someone who follows the latest trends, styles, and alternative culture, often self-consciously.

hipsters

noun

Underwear, especially for women, cut low so the waistband sits at the hips rather than the natural waist.

hiragana

noun

The basic set of Japanese phonetic characters used to write native Japanese words, particles, and the endings of verbs and adjectives when kanji is used for the main part of the word.

Hiram

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, borne by a biblical king of Tyre, and also the name of several small towns in the United States.

Hirata

name

A Japanese surname.

Hirayama

name

A Japanese surname.

hire

verb

To employ someone for pay, or to give someone a job.

hireling

noun

A worker who is taken on for pay, often to do unpleasant jobs with little freedom to make their own decisions.

Hires

name

An American surname.

hiring

noun

The process of employing someone.

hirn

noun

A corner, a nook, or a place to hide.

Hiroko

name

A Japanese feminine given name.

Hirono

name

A Japanese surname.

Hiroshi

name

A Japanese masculine given name.

Hiroshima

name

A prefecture in southwestern Honshu, Japan.

Hirsch

name

A German and Yiddish surname, also the name of a hamlet in Saskatchewan, Canada.

hirudinean

noun

A leech, an animal belonging to the group called Hirudinea.

his

determiner

Belonging to or associated with him.

Hisako

name

A Japanese feminine given name.

Hisashi

name

A Japanese masculine given name.

hiscock

name

A family name that came from a first name.

Hispanic

adj

Relating to Spain, or to Spanish-speaking countries and cultures, especially in Latin America.

hispanicism

noun

A Spanish word or expression that has been carried over into another language.

hispanicity

noun

The state or quality of being Hispanic.

hispanicization

noun

The process of making something Hispanic in character.

hispanicize

verb

To make something Spanish in style, culture, pronunciation or custom.

hispanist

noun

A person who studies Hispanic language, culture and related subjects.

hispano

noun

A person who is Hispanic or has Spanish ancestry.

hispanophile

noun

Someone who has a strong liking for Spain, its people or Spanish culture.

hispanophobe

noun

A person who dislikes people of Hispanic background.

hispanophobia

noun

Fear, hatred or unfair treatment aimed at Spanish or Hispanic people and their culture.

hispanophone

adj

An alternative letter-case form of Hispanophone.

hiss

verb

To make a sharp, sustained "sss" sound, as a snake or escaping gas does.

hisself

pron

Nonstandard form of "himself."

hissing

noun

A hissing sound.

hissy

noun

An angry outburst or tantrum, especially in the phrase "throw a hissy" or "hissy fit."

histology

noun

Histology is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic structure, chemical make-up and function of the tissues of plants and animals.

historial

adj

Another word for historical or historic.

historian

noun

A person who studies, researches, or writes about history.

historic

adj

Important or significant enough to be remembered in history.

historical

adj

Relating to history or the past, especially as recorded and studied, as opposed to legend or fiction.

historically

adv

With reference to history, or in terms of the historical record.

historiographer

noun

An academic devoted to the study of historiography.

historiography

noun

Historiography is the writing of history, or a written account of history.

history

noun

The study of past events, or the events themselves considered together.

histrionic

adjective

Excessively dramatic or emotional in a way that seems staged and is meant to attract attention.

hit

verb

To strike someone or something, often forcefully.

hit me up

phrase

Get in touch with me — by text, call or message — usually about arranging something or asking for something.

hitch

noun

A small problem, delay, or snag.

Hitchcock

name

An English surname, notably borne by film director Alfred Hitchcock; also the name of small towns in Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas.

hitches

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

hitchhike

verb

To travel by getting free rides from passing drivers, usually by signaling with a thumb or sign.

hitchhiker

noun

A person who travels by hitchhiking.

hitchhiking

noun

The activity of traveling by getting rides from passing vehicles.

hitching

noun

The act of attaching or fastening something, or of hitchhiking.

hither

adv

To this place; here (mainly literary or old-fashioned), especially in the phrase "hither and thither" (in various directions).

hitherto

adv

Up until now, or up until the point being discussed.

Hitler

noun

A domineering, tyrannical person who enjoys controlling others (used as an insult, from the name of the Nazi dictator).

hitman

noun

Someone hired to kill a person, typically paid by a criminal organization.

Hitomi

name

A Japanese feminine given name.

hittable

adj

Easy or possible to hit.

hitter

noun

A batter in baseball or softball.

hitting

noun

A series of hits or blows aimed at a person or object.

Hittite

noun

A member of the ancient Hittite people, a Bronze Age civilization based in Anatolia (modern Turkey).

hive

noun

A structure, natural or man-made, where a colony of bees lives.

hives

noun

An itchy, red, raised rash on the skin, often triggered by an allergic reaction.

hiya

intj

A casual, friendly way of saying hello.

HJ

noun

A handjob: the act of bringing a man to orgasm by stimulating his penis with the hand.

hm

intj

A short version of "hmm", used to show you're thinking something over.

hmg

name

Her Majesty's Government, or, His Majesty's Government; referring to the government of the United Kingdom or the government of certain other Commonwealth realms.