hell
place of eternal suffering
In some religions, a place where bad people go after they die to suffer forever.
[someone] goes to hell
- Many medieval paintings depict sinners burning in hell.
- She feared her actions would condemn her to hell.
- Some people believe hell is a real place, others see it as symbolic.
- Some people think bad people go to hell.
- He believed he would be punished in hell.
- They say hell is full of fire.
extremely bad situation
A very bad and painful time or situation.
[something] is hell for [someone]
- The last few months have been pure hell for me.
- He went through hell after the accident.
- Working in that heat was hell.
- The exam was hell for me.
- She went through hell when she lost her job.
- It was hell to wait so long.
exclamation of strong feeling
Said when you are surprised, angry, or want to make your words stronger.
- What the hell are you doing?
- Hell, I didn't know that!
- Oh hell! I forgot my keys.
- What the hell is that?
- Hell, I can't believe it.
- Oh hell! I lost my phone.
troublesome person or thing
A person or thing that makes life very hard or unpleasant.
- That kid is a real little hell.
- The new manager is giving us hell at work.
- The storm gave the sailors hell all night.
- The boss gave me hell today.
- That dog is hell to take care of.
- He is a little hell at school.
give [someone] hell
1treat harshly or criticize strongly
To punish, criticize, or make things very difficult for someone.
- The teacher gave us hell for being late.
- My mom gave me hell when she saw my grades.
go through hell
1experience great suffering
To have a very hard and painful time.
- She went through hell after her house burned down.
- They went through hell during the war.
like hell
1with great intensity or emphasis
Used to say something is done with great force, speed, or effort; also used to strongly deny something.
- He ran like hell to catch the bus.
- "You’ll help me?" "Like hell I will!"
what the hell
1expression of surprise or confusion
Used when you are surprised, angry, or do not understand something.
- What the hell is going on here?
- What the hell did you do that for?
raise hell
1Cause loud trouble or protest strongly
To make a lot of noise and trouble because you are angry or excited.
- The crowd raised hell after the referee's bad call.
- He'll raise hell if they try to fire him.
raise hell
2cause trouble or disturbance
To make trouble, protest loudly, or create a noisy disturbance.
- The fans raised hell after their team lost.
- He’ll raise hell if he finds out what happened.