What does "hilt" mean?
The handle of a sword, consisting of grip, guard, and pommel, designed to facilitate use of the blade and afford protection to the hand.
Hilt
/hɪlt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The handle of a sword, consisting of grip, guard, and pommel, designed to facilitate use of the blade and afford protection to the hand.
- Grammar: hilt is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: completely, dudgeon, fully, grip.
- Useful contrasts: incompletely, partially, spearhead.
- Usage evidence: He's living his role to the hilt.
How to use "hilt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hilt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hilt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hilt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hilt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hilt" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "completely" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hilt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The handle of a sword, consisting of grip, guard, and pommel, designed to facilitate use of the blade and afford protection to the hand.
"A partial tang does not extend all the way through the hilt and is normally not more than half the width of the blade. The length of the tang and the width, particularly where it narrows before entering the pommel, vary from sword to sword."
- 2 the handle of a sword or dagger wordnet
- 3 The base of the penis.
"he draws it again, and just wetting it with spittle, re-enters, and with ease sheath'd it now up to the hilt"
Verb
- 1 To provide with a hilt. transitive
"Being lightly hilted, it was very heavy in the point and was useful only as an unscientific chopper, dangerous if it connected with a vital part of an adversary, ideal for cutting at defenceless infantry, but unsuitable for sabre to sabre action, especially against the French equivalent, a beautifully balanced weapon, which was so functional that it was still used by the French cavalry in 1918, while a copy was used by the Prussians in the war of 1870."
- 2 To insert (a bodily extremity) as far as it can go into a sexual orifice so that it is impeded by the wider base to which it is attached (finger until palm, penis until pelvis). transitive
"his fingers hilted inside"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"He's living his role to the hilt."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hilt"?
Common synonyms include: completely, dudgeon, fully, grip, haft, hafts.
How do you use "hilt" in a sentence?
He's living his role to the hilt.
How do you pronounce "hilt"?
Pronounced /hɪlt/.
Etymology
From Middle English hilt, hilte, from Old English hilt, hilte, from Proto-Germanic *heltą, *heltǭ, *heltō, *hiltijō, (compare Old Norse hjalt, Old High German helza, Old Saxon helta), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to strike, cut”) (see holt).