mountain
[noun]
Synonyms:
- peak, alp, fell (Brit.), mount
- heap, abundance, mass, mound, pile, stack, ton

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Contrasted words: bottom, bottomland, dale, dell, vale, valley
Related Words: butte, mesa, bald, dome, hill, bluff, volcano, sierra

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English Thesaurus: mountain, hill, Mount, cliff, precipice, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

moun‧tain S3 W3 /ˈmaʊntən, ˈmaʊntɪn $ ˈmaʊntən/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: montaigne, from Latin montanus, from mons; ⇒ mount²]

1. a very high hill:
the highest mountain in Austria
the Rocky Mountains
a steep mountain road
magnificent mountain ranges (=lines of mountains)
snow-capped mountain peaks (=tops of mountains)
a mountain rescue team (=a group of experienced climbers who help people to safety from a mountain)
She was the first British woman to climb the mountain.

2. a mountain of something/mountains of something a very large pile or amount of something:
I’ve got mountains of paperwork to deal with.
Her husband went off with another woman and left her facing a mountain of debt.

3. food/butter etc mountain a very large amount of food, butter etc that has been produced but is not needed or used ⇒ lake

4. make a mountain out of a molehill to treat a problem as if it was very serious when in fact it is not

5. (have) a mountain to climb British English used to say that someone has a lot of work to do to achieve their aim, especially when you believe it will be difficult

6. move mountains to do things that seem impossible:
I have great faith in the power of love to move mountains.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

mountain
noun
I. very high hill
ADJ. big, great, high, huge, large, lofty, massive, tall, towering | small | steep | low | beautiful, dramatic, fine, majestic, spectacular | surrounding The surrounding mountains make the city difficult to evacuate.
distant | isolated, remote | inland | jagged, rocky, rugged | snow-capped, snow-covered, snowy | holy the holy mountain of the Lapp community
QUANT. chain, range a chain/range of mountains
VERB + MOUNTAIN ascend, climb, come/go up, scale | come/go down, descend, walk down | walk in We enjoy walking in the mountains.
cross (over)
MOUNTAIN + VERB rise, soar, tower The mountains here rise to well over 2,000m.
fall The mountains fall to the east to the flat expanse of the plateau.
surround sth Towering mountains surrounded the village.
shake The earth tremor made the mountains shake.
MOUNTAIN + NOUN chain, range | area, country, environment, region Between the two towns was 50 miles of mountain country.
height We crossed the rugged mountain heights.
pass, path, road, route, track | landscape, scenery | crag, face, flank, peak, ridge, side, slope, top, valley, wall | cave | lake, stream | air Many people come to the resort simply to enjoy the fresh mountain air.
pasture | barrier The invading army could only penetrate the mountain barrier at one point.
village | fastness, fortress, stronghold | hut, lodge, resort | folk, men, people | climber, climbing, walking, walks | guide | rescue, rescue team | bike, biker, biking | sickness | boot | goat, gorilla, hare, sheep
PREP. across/over/through the ~ a pass through the mountains
down/up a/the ~ She arranged to meet the others halfway up the mountain.
in the ~s This type of goat lives high up in the mountains.
PHRASES the flank/side/slope of a mountain, the foot/bottom/top of a mountain

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

mountain
II. large amount/number of sth
ADJ. great | debt | paper | butter, food, etc. They revealed a solution to reduce Europe's butter mountain.
VERB + MOUNTAIN generate | reduce
PHRASES a mountain of paper/paperwork The enquiry generated a mountain of paperwork.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

mountain

high
These mountains are much higher than any in Europe.
rugged mountains (=rough and uneven)
the spectacular scenery of rugged mountains
a snow-capped mountain (=with snow on the top)
beautiful views of snow-capped mountains
a distant mountain (=far away)
The sun was setting over the distant mountains.
a great mountain (=a high, impressive mountain)
Here, great mountains are all around.
a sacred mountain (=considered holy)
Mount Fuji is a sacred mountain.
go/walk up a mountain (also ascend a mountain formal)
Carrie and Albert went up the mountain, neither of them speaking as they climbed.
climb a mountain (=walk and/or climb to the top of a mountain)
Hillary had climbed all the big mountains in New Zealand.
go/walk down a mountain
She lost her way as she went down the mountain.
cross the mountains
We crossed the mountains between Spain and France.
mountains rise (=go high into the sky)
The mountains rise above the plains.
moutains soar/tower literary (=go very high into the sky)
The distant mountains soar abruptly towards the sky.
a mountain range/chain (=a number of mountains in a line)
The Alps are the largest mountain range in Europe.
a mountain top
Until the end of June you may find snow on the mountain tops.
a mountain peak (=the top of a mountain)
Clouds hid the mountain peaks.
a mountain slope (=the sides of a mountain)
Snow lay on the steep mountain slopes.
a mountain pass (=a path or road between mountains)
Their journey took them through river valleys and over mountain passes.
a mountain stream
The water was as clear and cold as a mountain stream.
mountain air
a walk in the clear mountain air
mountain rescue (=people who help people who are in difficulty on a mountain)
Mountain rescue teams were called out to search for the missing climbers.
the top of a mountain (also the summit of a mountain formal)
We climbed to the top of the mountain.
the foot of a mountain (=the bottom of a mountain)
We’ll take the car to the foot of the mountain and walk from there.
the side of a mountain
The path wound up the side of the mountain.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

mountain a very high hill:
the highest mountain in Austria
hill an area of land that is higher than the land around it, which is like a mountain but smaller and usually has a rounded top:
We went for a walk in the hills.
The house is surrounded by woods, farmland and gentle hills.
Mount (also Mt written abbreviation) used in the names of mountains. Don’t say ‘Fuji Mountain’ – say ‘Mount Fuji’:
Mount Everest
cliff the steep side of an area of land, often next to the sea:
the white cliffs of Dover
precipice especially literary a very steep and dangerous cliff:
They were standing on the edge of a precipice.
crag a high steep rock or mountain:
An eagle sailed over the high crags.
ridge a long narrow area of high ground, especially at the top of a mountain:
I could see a group of climbers high up on a ridge.
knoll a small round hill:
a grassy knoll
volcano a mountain with a large hole at the top, through which lava (=hot liquid rock) is sometimes forced out:
the eruption of a volcano
summit the very highest point of a mountain:
the summit of Mt Everest
peak especially literary the top of a mountain:
the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas
a distant peak
range/chain a group of mountains or hills arranged in a line:
the mountain range that is part of the border between Norway and Sweden
foothills a group of smaller hills below a range of high mountains:
the Sierra foothills

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

pile a group of things of the same type that are put on top of each other:
a huge pile of cardboard boxes
stack a neat pile of things of the same type:
There were stacks of books on the floor.
heap a large messy pile of things:
All his clothes were in a heap on the floor.
mound a pile of something with a round shape:
a small mound of rice on the plate
mountain a very large pile of something with a round shape:
a mountain of dirty laundry waiting to be washed

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mountain
ˈmauntɪn
See: make a mountain out of a molehill

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲