mountain

The word “mountain” means a very tall, steep natural landform rising well above the surrounding land. In plain terms, a very high, steep hill, or, informally, a huge pile of something.

“Mountain” is pronounced MOWN-tihn (/ˈmaʊn.t(ə)n/ in IPA).

Here is “mountain” used in a sentence: “They spent the weekend hiking in the mountains.”

Words with a similar meaning to “mountain” include alp, beacon, ben, crest, eminence and fell.

“Mountain” is a noun.

The word “mountain” comes from Latin. From Anglo-Norman muntaine, ultimately from Latin mōns ("mountain") — the same root as "mount.".

“Mountain” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Mountain” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a very tall, steep natural landform rising well above the surrounding land.

Both rise above the surrounding land, but a mountain is taller, steeper, and more dramatic than a hill. There is no fixed height that officially separates them, though a common rule of thumb puts mountains above roughly 300 metres. In practice, the distinction often rests on local tradition and perception as much as on precise measurement.

Geologists usually recognise several types based on how they form. Fold mountains arise where tectonic plates collide and crumple the crust, fault-block mountains form along deep fractures, and volcanic mountains build up from erupted material. Dome mountains, pushed up by rising rock, and eroded plateau mountains complete the main categories.

Mount Everest, on the border of Nepal and China, is the classic example — the highest point on Earth above sea level. Other famous mountains include Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mont Blanc in the Alps, and Mount Fuji in Japan, each rising steeply and distinctly above the land around it.