hell

Everyday

1. In some religions, a place where bad people are believed to go after death to be punished. tree →
2. A very unpleasant place or experience. tree →
3. (rude, mild swearing) Said to show anger, surprise or emphasis: "What the hell?", "hell of a". tree →

In the lessons

In stories and religious education, hell is the opposite of heaven. In real speech it is a mild swear word, not allowed in polite talk or school writing. Phrases: (rude) bloody hell, what the hell, a hell of a, go to hell (very rude), like hell.

Examples

• In the story, the devil lived in hell. tree →
• The traffic jam was hell. tree →
• (rude) What the hell is that noise? tree →
• (rude) Bloody hell, that was close! tree →
• (rude) We had a hell of a time getting home. tree →
• The long walk in the heat was hell. tree →

Note

As a swear word it adds feeling, not facts: "a hell of a lot" just means "very many". "Go to hell" is very rude. Capital H is sometimes used in religious writing.