Meanings
mound1
plural mounds
- An artificial hill or elevation of earth; a raised bank; an embankment thrown up for defense
- A natural elevation appearing as if thrown up artificially; a regular and isolated hill, hillock, or knoll.
Synonyms: earthen mound
- ball gamesAn elevated area of dirt upon which the pitcher stands to pitch.
The pitcher was waiting at the mound.
Synonyms: pitcher's mound
- 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.
Synonyms: globus cruciger, globe, orb
- USslangvulgarThe mons veneris.
- slangvulgarA woman's breast.
[…] the men were now also massaging her mounds, their fingers soothing and kneading while they sucked at her aching nipples.
2025, Jan Springer, Jasmine Black, Captured (page 257) - figurativelyobsoletemeasurementanatomyA hand.
- obsoleteA protection; restraint; curb.
- obsoleteA helmet.
- A large amount of something.
a mound of mashed potato
present singular third person mounds · participle present mounding · participle past mounded · past mounded
- transitiveTo force or pile into a mound or mounds.
He mounded up his mashed potatoes so they left more space on the plate for the meat.
Synonyms: heap up
- intransitiveTo form a mound.
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.
2011, Rick Hansen, Leadership and The Art of Surfing, page xi
Mound2
- A number of places in the United States:
- A township in Effingham County, Illinois.
- A township in McDonough County, Illinois.
- A township in Warren County, Indiana.
- A township in McPherson County, Kansas.
- A village in Madison Parish, Louisiana.
- 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.
2020 February 20, “Basic Fun! and Shaquille O'Neal Announce Tonka Collaboration”, in PR Newswire, archived from the original on 26 Dec 2025 - A township in Rock County, Minnesota.
- A township in Bates County, Missouri.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn artificial hill or elevation of earth; a raised bank; an embankment thrown up for defense
nounA natural elevation appearing as if thrown up artificially; a regular and isolated hill, hillock, or knoll.
nounAn elevated area of dirt upon which the pitcher stands to pitch.
nounA 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.
verbTo force or pile into a mound or mounds.
More synonyms by meaning
noun(baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands
nouna collection of objects laid on top of each other
nounstructure consisting of an artificial heap or bank usually of earth or stones
nounthe position on a baseball team of the player who throws the ball for a batter to try to hit
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
mound · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*mh₂-nt-éh₂“the beckoning one”
- Proto-Germanic*mundō“hand”
- Proto-West Germanic*mundu
- Old Englishmund“hand, hand of protection, protector, guardianship”
- Middle Englishmound
- Englishmound
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”), Middle Dutch mond (“protection”), Old High German munt (“hand, protection”) German Mündel (“ward”), Vormund (“guardian”)), Icelandic and Old Norse mund (“hand”), and possibly Latin manus (“hand”), Ancient Greek μάρη (márē, “hand”). Not related to mount.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek χῶμα
- χῶμα (khôma)artificial elevation of earth
Bulgarian насип, могила
- насип (nasip)artificial elevation of earth
- могила (mogila)natural elevation
- натрупвам (natrupvam)to pile into mounds
Catalan mota, túmul
- motaartificial elevation of earth
- túmulartificial elevation of earth
Chinese Mandarin 土堆, 堆
- 土堆 (tǔduī)artificial elevation of earth
- 堆 (duī)artificial elevation of earth
- 丘 (qiū)natural elevation
Dutch terp, heuvel
- terpartificial elevation of earth
- heuvelnatural elevation
Esperanto teramaso, altaĵo
- teramasoartificial elevation of earth
- altaĵonatural elevation
- altaĵetonatural elevation
Finnish keko, kasa
- kekoartificial elevation of earth
- kasaartificial elevation of earth
- valliartificial elevation of earth
- penkkaartificial elevation of earth
- kukkulanatural elevation
- kumpunatural elevation
- kumparenatural elevation
- syöttökumpubaseball term
- valtakunnanomenapart of regalia
- kasatato pile into mounds
French butte, monticule
- butteartificial elevation of earth
- monticuleartificial elevation of earth
- tertrenatural elevation
- monticulebaseball term
- butterfortify with a mound
German Erdhügel, Erdwall
- Erdhügelartificial elevation of earth
- Erdwallartificial elevation of earth
- Hügelnatural elevation
Hungarian töltés
- töltésartificial elevation of earth
Irish tulach, mullóg
- tulachartificial elevation of earth
- mullógartificial elevation of earth
Italian terrapieno, tumulo
- terrapienoartificial elevation of earth
- tumuloartificial elevation of earth
- cumuloartificial elevation of earth
- monticelloartificial elevation of earth
- mottaartificial elevation of earth
- montarozzoartificial elevation of earth
- collinettanatural elevation
- poggionatural elevation
- monticellonatural elevation
- tumulonatural elevation
- mottanatural elevation
- accumulareto pile into mounds
- ammucchiareto pile into mounds
Japanese 塚, マウンド
- 塚 (tsuka)artificial elevation of earth
- マウンド (maundo)artificial elevation of earth
- 丘 (oka)natural elevation
- マウンド (maundo)baseball term
Latin tumulus
- tumulusartificial elevation of earth
Māori toropuke
- toropukeartificial elevation of earth
Persian تپه, کومه
- تپه (tappe)artificial elevation of earth
- کومه (kume)artificial elevation of earth
- تپه (tappe)natural elevation
Polish kopiec, jabłko
- kopiecartificial elevation of earth
- jabłkopart of regalia
Portuguese pilha, monte
- pilhaartificial elevation of earth
- monteartificial elevation of earth
- cômoroartificial elevation of earth
- montenatural elevation
- montinhobaseball term
- montículobaseball term
- orbepart of regalia
- amontoarto pile into mounds
- empilharto pile into mounds
Romanian movilă
- movilănatural elevation
Russian на́сыпь, холм
- на́сыпь (násypʹ)artificial elevation of earth
- холм (xolm)artificial elevation of earth
- курга́н (kurgán)natural elevation
- холм (xolm)natural elevation
- держава (deržava)part of regalia
Spanish montículo, montículo
- montículoartificial elevation of earth
- montículonatural elevation
- montículobaseball term
- apilarto pile into mounds
- amontonarto pile into mounds
Turkish höyük, öbek
- höyükartificial elevation of earth
- öbekartificial elevation of earth
- yığınartificial elevation of earth
- tepeciknatural elevation
- tümseknatural elevation
Vietnamese gò, ụ
- gònatural elevation
- ụnatural elevation
- đụnnatural elevation
Welsh twmpath, crug
- twmpathartificial elevation of earth
- crugartificial elevation of earth
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with mound
Anagrams
Cite this entry
mound. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mound
“mound.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mound. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mound,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mound.
Source: mound on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.