mountain
noun
moun·tain ˈmau̇n-tᵊn 
often attributive
1
a
: a landmass that projects conspicuously above its surroundings and is higher than a hill
The sun set behind the mountains.
b
: an elongated ridge
2
a
: a great mass
a mountain of a man
E. K. Brown
E. K. Brown b
: a vast number or quantity
a mountain of mail
a mountain of debt
Synonyms
- alp
- hump
- mount
- peak
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She watched the sun set behind the mountains. a cabin in the mountains They both like mountain climbing. We've received a mountain of mail.
Recent Examples on the Web The mountain is the only place in the country where a raindrop can land and wind up in one of three places: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, or Hudson Bay. Katie Jackson, Outside Online, 6 Sep. 2022 During nonracing hours, the mountain is open to everyone, with a museum and excellent doughnuts at the top. Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 4 Sep. 2022 Mesa is now writing a feature film set in Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountain range and is developing a short and a feature with her partner Jana Díaz-Juhl that are meant to be co-produced with the U.S. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 1 Sep. 2022 Nestled just three hours from the border of Western China and Afghanistan, Almaty is a city of striking beauty at the foot of the Himalayan mountain range that towers over it. Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2022 Temperatures in this mountain range are warming about twice as quickly as the global average, per Reuters’ Emma Farge and Gloria Dickie. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Aug. 2022 The Miniatur Wunderland South America expansion continues to grow, and is set to be complete within the next five years with the addition of a mini Amazon rainforest and Andes mountain range. CNN, 22 Aug. 2022 Everyone agrees that the mountain of coal ash is a nightmare waiting to happen. Darryl Fears, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2022 Situated near the Caucasian mountain range, its lands feature towering brown peaks, desert canyons, and steppes ridged by sand dunes. Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2022 See More
Katie Jackson, Outside Online, 6 Sep. 2022 During nonracing hours, the mountain is open to everyone, with a museum and excellent doughnuts at the top. Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 4 Sep. 2022 Mesa is now writing a feature film set in Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountain range and is developing a short and a feature with her partner Jana Díaz-Juhl that are meant to be co-produced with the U.S. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 1 Sep. 2022 Nestled just three hours from the border of Western China and Afghanistan, Almaty is a city of striking beauty at the foot of the Himalayan mountain range that towers over it. Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2022 Temperatures in this mountain range are warming about twice as quickly as the global average, per Reuters’ Emma Farge and Gloria Dickie. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Aug. 2022 The Miniatur Wunderland South America expansion continues to grow, and is set to be complete within the next five years with the addition of a mini Amazon rainforest and Andes mountain range. CNN, 22 Aug. 2022 Everyone agrees that the mountain of coal ash is a nightmare waiting to happen. Darryl Fears, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2022 Situated near the Caucasian mountain range, its lands feature towering brown peaks, desert canyons, and steppes ridged by sand dunes. Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English montaine, monteine, mounteyne, borrowed from Anglo-French muntaine, monteigne, mountaigne "elevated region, mountain range, mountain" (also continental Old French, Middle French montagne), going back to Vulgar Latin *montānea, from Latin mont-, mons "mountain, hill" + Vulgar Latin *-ānea, collective suffix, from neuter plural of Latin -āneus (from -ānus -an entry 2 + -eus -eous)
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing mountain
Kids Definition
mountain
noun
moun·tain ˈmau̇n-tᵊn
1
: a raised area of land higher than a hill
2
: a great mass or huge number
a mountain of mail
mountain
noun
1
as in peak
an elevation of land higher than a hill my cousin likes to climb mountains just because she can Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- peak
- alp
- mount
- pinnacle
- summit
- hump
- cordillera
- sierra
- mountaintop
- mountain range
- horn
- knob
- seamount
- range
- inselberg
- aiguille
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- valley
- basin
- bowl
- depression
- vale
- hollow
2
as in loads
a considerable amount receives a mountain of mail every year for the holidays Synonyms & Similar Words
- loads
- ton
- pile
- slew
- plenty
- hundred
- chunk
- raft
- dozen
- wealth
- deal
- bunch
- stack
- quantity
- abundance
- lot
- bundle
- heap
- bucket
- much
- yard
- pot
- pack
- volume
- myriad
- truckload
- good deal
- mass
- multiplicity
- sight
- barrel
- profusion
- fistful
- basketful
- carload
- sheaf
- gobs
- peck
- plenitude
- plateful
- potful
- store
- spate
- mess
- bushel
- reams
- sea
- shipload
- lashins
- wad
- boatload
- plentitude
- scads
- oodles
- passel
- flood
- lashings
- thousands
- quite a bit
- all kinds (of)
- score
- plague
- surplus
- rash
- multitude
- epidemic
- army
- excess
- horde
- deluge
- bonanza
- swarm
- throng
- overabundance
- host
- flock
- overflow
- crowd
- overkill
- herd
- embarrassment
- million
- crush
- surfeit
- oversupply
- plethora
- superabundance
- overmuch
- legion
- press
- redundancy
- mob
- bevy
- drove
- superfluity
- overage
- cram
- trillion
- zillion
- gazillion
- kazillion
- jillion
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- shadow
- spot
- strain
- grain
- shade
- taste
- speck
- touch
- handful
- molecule
- fragment
- bit
- sprinkling
- streak
- peanuts
- ray
- atom
- trace
- suspicion
- sprinkle
- pittance
- pinch
- mouthful
- mite
- ace
- hint
- shred
- particle
- dram
- ounce
- dot
- granule
- lick
- scrap
- nip
- glimmer
- whit
- portion
- dab
- mote
- section
- drop
- crumb
- piece
- tad
- little
- modicum
- dash
- shot
- smattering
- tittle
- scruple
- jot
- poverty
- driblet
- fleck
- iota
- smidge
- morsel
- smidgeon
- smidgen
- shortage
- smidgin
- flyspeck
- scintilla
- lack
- absence
- scarcity
- nubbin
- deficit
- famine
- smatter
- deficiency
- paucity
- insufficiency
- want
- inadequacy
- dearth
- undersupply
- scantiness
- scarceness
- scantness
- meagerness
- skimpiness
3
as in pile
a quantity of things thrown or stacked on one another he piled a mountain of mashed potatoes on his plate Synonyms & Similar Words
- pile
- stack
- hill
- mound
- heap
- cock
- bank
- embankment
- bed
- hoard
- layer
- pyramid
- collection
- drift
- accumulation
- rick
- assemblage
- array
- mow
- bar
- jumble
- barrow
- aggregate
- gathering
- cairn
- grouping
- pyre
- conglomeration
- pileup
- knot
- huddle