hell

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun The place of eternal punishment for the wicked after death, often imagined as being presided over by Satan and his devils.
• noun A state of separation from God; exclusion from God's presence.
• noun The abode of the dead in any of various religious traditions, such as the Hebrew Sheol or the Greek Hades; the underworld.
• noun A situation or place of evil, misery, discord, or destruction.
• noun An extremely difficult experience; torment or anguish.
• noun The spirits in hell or the powers of evil.
• noun Informal One that causes trouble, agony, or annoyance.
• noun A sharp scolding.
• noun A tailor's receptacle for discarded material.
• noun Printing A hellbox.
• noun An outstanding or noteworthy example.
• noun Used as an intensive.
• noun Archaic A gambling house.
• intransitive verb To behave riotously; carouse.
• interjection Used to express anger, disgust, or impatience.
• idiom (for the hell of it) For no particular reason; on a whim.
• idiom (hell on) Damaging or destructive to.
• idiom (hell on) Unpleasant to or painful for.
• idiom (or/and) Troubles or difficulties of whatever magnitude.
• idiom (hell to pay) Great trouble.
• idiom (like hell) Used as an intensive.
• idiom (like hell) Used to express strong contradiction or refusal.
• idiom (to hell and gone) A long distance away.
• idiom (to hell and gone) Far and wide.
• idiom (to hell and gone) Into the next world.
• idiom (to hell with) Used to express contempt for or dismissal of someone or something.

from The Century Dictionary.

• To hide; cover.
• A colloquial contraction of he will.
• noun The abode of the dead; the place of departed spirits; the grave; the infernal regions, regarded as a place of existence after death: called in Hebrew Sheol, and by the Greeks Hades.
• noun [In the authorized version of the Bible the word hell occurs 54 times, viz., 31 times in the Old Testament and 23 times in the New. In the Old Testament it translates the Hebrew name Sheol, which is also translated the grave (31 times) and the pit (3 times). In the revised version hell has been retained in the prophetical books, and Sheol substituted for it in the poetical books and passages, except in Deut. xxxii. 22, Ps. lv. 15, and lxxxvi. 13, where it is changed to pit. In both the authorized and the revised version of the New Testament, hell is used 12 times to translate the Greek γέεννα (transliterated gehenna in the Vulgate), while in the authorized version it is used 10 times for the Greek ᾅδης, and once (2 Pet. ii. 4) for ταρταοώσας (Tartarus). In the revised version hell is retained for Tartarus, and Hades has been used for the Greek ᾅδης. See Gehenna, grave, Hades, and Sheol.]
• noun The abode of devils and condemned spirits; the place or state of punishment of the wicked after death; the infernal regions, regarded as a place of torment.
• noun The infernal powers; the powers of darkness and evil.
• noun Something regarded as resembling hell.
• noun Specifically— Any place or condition of captivity or torment; any experience of great suffering: as, a hell upon earth; a hell of suspense or suspicion.
• noun A gaming-house; a gaming-room; a gamblers' den.
• noun In some games, as barley-brake, the place to which those who are caught are carried.
• noun A place where things are covered up or hidden; a place of concealment; specifically, a place into which a tailor throws his shreds or his cabbaged stuff, or a printer his broken type.
• noun Formerly, in England, a place under the exchequer chamber where the king's debtors were confined.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• transitive verb obsolete To overwhelm.
• noun The place of the dead, or of souls after death; the grave; -- called in Hebrew sheol, and by the Greeks hades.
• noun The place or state of punishment for the wicked after death; the abode of evil spirits. Hence, any mental torment; anguish.
• noun A place where outcast persons or things are gathered.
• noun A dungeon or prison; also, in certain running games, a place to which those who are caught are carried for detention.
• noun A gambling house.
• noun A place into which a tailor throws his shreds, or a printer his broken type.