What does "mound" mean?
An artificial hill or elevation of earth; a raised bank; an embankment thrown up for defense
Mound
/maʊnd/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An artificial hill or elevation of earth; a raised bank; an embankment thrown up for defense
- Grammar: mound is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: heap, hill, knoll, pile.
- Useful contrasts: oceanic trench, flatten, fosse.
- Usage evidence: Five pitchers are to take the mound in rotation.
How to use "mound"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mound" 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 "mound" 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 "mound" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mound" 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 "mound" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "heap" 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 "mound", 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 An artificial hill or elevation of earth; a raised bank; an embankment thrown up for defense
- 2 the position on a baseball team of the player who throws the ball for a batter to try to hit wordnet
- 3 A natural elevation appearing as if thrown up artificially; a regular and isolated hill, hillock, or knoll.
- 4 structure consisting of an artificial heap or bank usually of earth or stones wordnet
- 5 Elevated area of dirt upon which the pitcher stands to pitch.
"The pitcher was waiting at the mound."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 (baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands wordnet
- 7 A ball or globe forming part of the regalia of an emperor or other sovereign. It is encircled with bands, enriched with precious stones, and surmounted with a cross.
- 8 a collection of objects laid on top of each other wordnet
- 9 The mons veneris. US, slang, vulgar
- 10 a small natural hill wordnet
- 11 A hand. figuratively, obsolete
- 12 A protection; restraint; curb. obsolete
- 13 A helmet. obsolete
- 14 Might; size. obsolete
- 15 a large amount of something.
Verb
- 1 To fortify with a mound; add a barrier, rampart, etc. to. transitive
- 2 form into a rounded elevation wordnet
- 3 To force or pile into a mound or mounds. transitive
"He mounded up his mashed potatoes so they left more space on the plate for the meat."
- 4 To form a mound. intransitive
"When a wave mounds on the outside and takes its shape, a surfer quickly paddles to the peak, positions himself in its evolving momentum, swings his board around, aligns with the peak, and thrusts himself into its cascading shape."
Proper Noun
- 1 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Effingham County, Illinois.
- 2 A number of places in the United States:; A township in McDonough County, Illinois.
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Warren County, Indiana.
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; A township in McPherson County, Kansas.
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; A village in Madison Parish, Louisiana.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A city in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
"Tonka was created in 1946 by a gardening supply company in Mound, Minnesota called Mound Metalcraft, which later become Tonka Toys Incorporated."
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Rock County, Minnesota.
- 8 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Bates County, Missouri.
- 9 A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Coryell County, Texas.
- 10 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia.
Example
"Five pitchers are to take the mound in rotation."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mound"?
Common synonyms include: heap, hill, knoll, pile, abatis, advanced work.
How do you use "mound" in a sentence?
Five pitchers are to take the mound in rotation.
How do you pronounce "mound"?
Pronounced /maʊnd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From earlier meaning "hedge, fence", from Middle English mound, mund (“protection, boundary, raised earthen rampart”), from Old English mund (“hand, hand of protection, protector, guardianship”), from Proto-West Germanic *mundu, from Proto-Germanic *mundō (“hand”), *munduz (“protection, patron”), from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂-nt-éh₂ (“the beckoning one”), from *(s)meh₂- (“to beckon”). Cognate with Old Frisian mund (“guardianship”), Old High German munt (“hand, protection”) (German Mündel (“ward”), Vormund (“a guardian”)), Old Norse mund (“hand”) (Icelandic mund), Middle Dutch mond (“protection”), and possibly Latin manus (“hand”), Ancient Greek μάρη (márē, “hand”). Not related to mount.
Etymology 2
From mound.