(Christianity) the abode of Satan and the forces of evil; where sinners suffer eternal punishment
"Hurl'd headlong...To bottomless perdition, there to dwell"
"a demon from the depths of the pit"
"Hell is paved with good intentions"
(religion) the world of the dead
"No one goes to Hades with all his immense wealth"
A place or situation of great suffering in life.
"After losing his job and moving into a damp basement, Mark felt that his current life was nothing less than hell."
In plain English: Hell is a place where people believe bad spirits live and punish those who did wrong while they were alive.
"The weather this summer has been absolute hell."
Usage: Use "hell" to describe an extremely difficult, painful, or frustrating situation, such as enduring a long traffic jam or dealing with a broken appliance. It functions as a hyperbolic intensifier rather than a literal reference to the afterlife when discussing everyday struggles.
To add luster to, burnish (silver or gold).
"The old truck hell'd hot coffee all over the floor when it tipped over in the kitchen."
To pour.
In plain English: To hell means to go away quickly and angrily, often by leaving a place without saying goodbye.
"The engine was so loud that the neighbors were literally hell-bent on calling the police."
Usage: As a verb, hell means to pour or dump something forcefully and in large quantities. Use it informally when describing someone dumping trash, food, or other items with great speed and lack of care.
Alternative form of the hell or like hell.
"He told me he would never do that, and I believe him when he said he'd go to hell before lying."
In plain English: A place of suffering and punishment, often associated with eternal damnation. Rewritten: Hell means a very bad or difficult situation.
"The car was going hell for leather down the empty highway."
Usage: Use "hell" as an adverb to emphasize that you are doing something with great intensity or extreme effort, often replacing phrases like "very much" or "at all." For example, say "I will work hell on this project" to convey a sense of frantic dedication.
In various religions, the torment place where some or all evil spirits are believed to go after death
"In Norse mythology, the giantess Angrboða gave birth to Fenrir in hell before being imprisoned by Odin."
Alternative spelling of Hel
Used to express discontent, unhappiness, or anger.
"Hell, I can't believe you forgot our anniversary again!"
The word "hell" comes from Old English helle, originally meaning a concealed place or the netherworld. It traveled into modern English through Middle English while retaining its core sense of an underworld abode.