2 VERB [usu passive] If something is hewn from stone or wood, it is cut from stone or wood. [LITERARY , OLD-FASHIONED ] □ [be V -ed + from/out of ] …the rock from which the lower chambers and subterranean passageways have been hewn. □ [V -ed] …medieval monasteries hewn out of the rockface.
3 → see also rough-hewn
hexa|gon /he ksəgən, [AM ] -gɔːn/ (hexagons ) N‑COUNT A hexagon is a shape that has six straight sides.
hex|ago|nal /heksæ gən ə l/ ADJ A hexagonal object or shape has six straight sides.
hey /he I / CONVENTION In informal situations, you say or shout ' hey ' to attract someone's attention, or to show surprise, interest, or annoyance. [FEELINGS ] □ 'Hey! Look out!' shouted Patty.
hey|day /he I de I / N‑SING [with poss] Someone's heyday is the time when they are most powerful, successful, or popular. □ In its heyday, the studio's boast was that it had more stars than there are in heaven.
HGH /e I tʃ dʒiː e I tʃ/ HGH is an abbreviation for human growth hormone .
hi ◆◇◇ /ha I / CONVENTION In informal situations, you say ' hi ' to greet someone. [FORMULAE ] □ 'Hi, Liz,' she said shyly.
hia|tus /ha I e I təs/ N‑SING A hiatus is a pause in which nothing happens, or a gap where something is missing. [FORMAL ] □ Diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement resume today after a two-week hiatus. [Also + in/of ]
hi|ber|nate /ha I bə r ne I t/ (hibernates , hibernating , hibernated ) VERB Animals that hibernate spend the winter in a state like a deep sleep. □ [V ] Dormice hibernate from October to May.
hi|bis|cus /h I b I skəs, [AM ] ha I -/ (hibiscus ) N‑VAR A hibiscus is a tropical bush that has large, brightly-coloured bell-shaped flowers.
hic|cup /h I kʌp/ (hiccups , hiccuping or hiccupping , hiccuped or hiccupped ) also hiccough
1 N‑COUNT [oft n N ] You can refer to a small problem or difficulty as a hiccup , especially if it does not last very long or is easily put right. □ A recent sales hiccup is nothing to panic about. [Also + in ]
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft the N ] When you have hiccups , you make repeated sharp sounds in your throat, often because you have been eating or drinking too quickly. □ A young baby may frequently get a bout of hiccups during or soon after a feed.
3 N‑COUNT A hiccup is a sound of the kind that you make when you have hiccups.
4 VERB When you hiccup , you make repeated sharp sounds in your throat. □ [V ] She was still hiccuping from the egg she had swallowed whole.
hick /h I k/ (hicks ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] If you refer to someone as a hick , you are saying in a rude way that you think they are uneducated and stupid because they come from the countryside. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
hid /h I d/ Hid is the past tense of hide .
hid|den /h I d ə n/
1 Hidden is the past participle of hide .
2 ADJ Hidden facts, feelings, activities, or problems are not easy to notice or discover. □ Under all the innocent fun, there are hidden dangers, especially for children.
3 ADJ A hidden place is difficult to find. □ As you descend, suddenly you see at last the hidden waterfall.
hi d|den age n|da (hidden agendas ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone has a hidden agenda , you are criticizing them because you think they are secretly trying to achieve or cause a particular thing, while they appear to be doing something else. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He accused foreign nations of having a hidden agenda to harm French influence.
hide ◆◇◇ /ha I d/ (hides , hiding , hid , hidden )
1 VERB If you hide something or someone, you put them in a place where they cannot easily be seen or found. □ [V n] He hid the bicycle in the hawthorn hedge. □ [V n] They could see that I was terrified, and hid me until the coast was clear.
2 VERB If you hide or if you hide yourself , you go somewhere where you cannot easily be seen or found. □ [V ] At their approach the little boy scurried away and hid. □ [V pron-refl] They hid themselves behind a tree.
3 VERB If you hide your face, you press your face against something or cover your face with something, so that people cannot see it. □ [V n] She hid her face under the collar of his jacket and she started to cry.
4 VERB If you hide what you feel or know, you keep it a secret, so that no one knows about it. □ [V n] Lee tried to hide his excitement.
5 VERB If something hides an object, it covers it and prevents it from being seen. □ [V n] The man's heavy moustache hid his upper lip completely.
6 N‑COUNT A hide is a place which is built to look like its surroundings. Hides are used by people who want to watch or photograph animals and birds without being seen by them. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, use blind 7 N‑VAR A hide is the skin of a large animal such as a cow, horse, or elephant, which can be used for making leather. □ …the process of tanning animal hides.
8 → see also hidden , hiding
hi de-and-see k N‑UNCOUNT Hide-and-seek is a children's game in which one player covers his or her eyes until the other players have hidden themselves, and then he or she tries to find them.
hide|away /ha I dəwe I / (hideaways ) N‑COUNT A hideaway is a place where you go to hide or to get away from other people. □ The bandits fled to a remote mountain hideaway.