English Dictionary
Definition of “hail”
1hail1 (heɪl
)
Definitions
noun
- small pellets of ice falling from cumulonimbus clouds when there are very strong rising air currents
- a shower or storm of such pellets
- words, ideas, etc, directed with force and in great quantity ⇒
a hail of abuse
- a collection of objects, esp bullets, spears, etc, directed at someone with violent force
verb
- (intr; with it as subject) to be the case that hail is falling
- often with it as subject to fall or cause to fall as or like hail ⇒
to hail criticism
bad language hailed about him
Word Origin
Old English hægl; related to Old Frisian heil, Old High German hagal hail, Greek kakhlēx pebble
Synonyms
View thesaurus entry
=
shower,
rain,
storm,
battery,
volley,
barrage,
bombardment,
pelting,
downpour,
salvo,
broadside,
2hail2 (heɪl)
Definitions
verb (mainly tr)
- to greet, esp enthusiastically ⇒
the crowd hailed the actress with joy
- to acclaim or acknowledge ⇒
they hailed him as their hero
- to attract the attention of by shouting or gesturing ⇒
to hail a taxi
to hail a passing ship
- (intr) foll by from to be a native (of); originate (in) ⇒
she hails from India
noun
- the act or an instance of hailing
- a shout or greeting
- distance across which one can attract attention (esp in the phrase within hail)
sentence substitute
- poetic an exclamation of greeting
Alternative Forms
ˈhailer noun Word Origin
C12: from Old Norse heillwhole; see haleC12: from Old Norse ; see 1, , wassail
Translations
- British English:
hail
Hail consists of tiny balls of ice that fall like rain from the sky....a storm with hail.heɪl NOUN ...a storm with hail.
- Spanish:
granizo
nm
- French:
grêle
nf
- German:
Hagel
nm
- Chinese: 冰雹 n
- Arabic: بَرَد n
- Portuguese: granizo nm
- Russian: град nm
- Croatian: tuča nf
- Czech: kroupy npl
- Danish: hagl nnt
- Dutch: hagel nm
- Finnish: rakeet npl
- Greek: χαλάζι nnt
- Italian: grandine nf
- Japanese: 雹 n
- Korean: 우박 n
- Norwegian: hagl nm
- Polish: grad nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: granizo nm
- European Spanish:
granizo
nm
- Swedish: hagel nnt
- Thai: ลูกเห็บ n
- Turkish: dolu n
- Vietnamese: mưa đá n
- British English:
hail
If a person or event is hailed as important or successful, they are praised publicly.The magazine hailed her as the greatest rock'n'roll singer in the world.heɪl VERB The magazine hailed her as the greatest rock'n'roll singer in the world.
- Spanish:
granizar
v
- French:
grêler
vi
- German:
zurufen
v
- Chinese: 欢呼认可 v
- Arabic: يَهْتِف ب vt
- Portuguese: chover granizo v
- Russian: приветствовать v
- Croatian: klicati v
- Czech: padat kroupy v
- Danish: hylde v
- Dutch: hagelen v
- Finnish: tervehtiä huudahtamalla v
- Greek: χαιρετίζω v
- Italian: grandinare v
- Japanese: 呼び止める v
- Korean: 우박이 내리다 v
- Norwegian: hagle v
- Polish: powitać v witać
- Brazilian Portuguese: saudar vt
- European Spanish:
granizar
v
- Swedish: stoppa v
- Thai: โห่ร้องอวยชัย v
- Turkish: dolu yağmak v
- Vietnamese: mưa đá v
Usage examples
Hail guardians of the south, hail guardians of the west, hail guardians of the north...' Emma held her breath.
Barbara Erskine, HIDING FROM THE LIGHT (2002)The food is imaginative and staff, who seem to mostly hail from the southern hemisphere, are charming.
Country Life (2004)Tourists from around the world hail Vancouver for its world-class setting.
Globe and Mail (2003)Of the war itself some good strategic ideas and much luck led many to hail Hitler as a military genius.
Glasgow Herald (2002)A truck mounted with an anti-aircraft gun drove towards the American column and was caught in a hail of bullets.
Oliver Poole, BLACK KNIGHTS: On the Bloody Road to Baghdad (2003)
