1 N‑COUNT A high wire is a length of rope or wire stretched tight high above the ground and used for balancing acts.
2 N‑SING [oft N n] Journalists talk about a person being on a high wire or performing a high-wire act when he or she is dealing with a situation in which it would be easy to do the wrong thing. □ This year's Budget looks set to be a precarious high-wire act for the Chancellor.
hijab /h I dʒɑː b, h I dʒæb/ (hijabs )
1 N‑COUNT A hijab is a scarf that some Muslim women wear, which covers their hair and neck.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Hijab is traditional Muslim dress for women, and the rules concerning this. □ We can choose to wear hijab, we can practise our faith freely.
hi|jack /ha I dʒæk/ (hijacks , hijacking , hijacked )
1 VERB If someone hijacks a plane or other vehicle, they illegally take control of it by force while it is travelling from one place to another. □ [V n] …a plot to hijack an airliner. □ [V -ed] The hijacked plane exploded in a ball of fire. ● N‑COUNT Hijack is also a noun. □ Every minute during the hijack seemed like a week. ● hi|jack|ing (hijackings ) N‑COUNT □ Car hijackings are running at a rate of nearly 50 a day.
2 VERB If you say that someone has hijacked something, you disapprove of the way in which they have taken control of it when they had no right to do so. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V n] A peaceful demonstration had been hijacked by anarchists intent on causing trouble.
hi|jack|er /ha I dʒækə r / (hijackers ) N‑COUNT A hijacker is a person who hijacks a plane or other vehicle.
hike /ha I k/ (hikes , hiking , hiked )
1 N‑COUNT A hike is a long walk in the country, especially one that you go on for pleasure.
2 VERB If you hike , you go for a long walk in the country. □ [V prep/adv] You could hike through the Fish River Canyon. □ [V n] We plan to hike the Samaria Gorge. [Also V ] ● hik|ing N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] □ …heavy hiking boots.
3 N‑COUNT A hike is a sudden or large increase in prices, rates, taxes, or quantities. [INFORMAL ] □ …a sudden 1.75 per cent hike in interest rates.
4 VERB To hike prices, rates, taxes, or quantities means to increase them suddenly or by a large amount. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] It has now been forced to hike its rates by 5.25 per cent. ● PHRASAL VERB Hike up means the same as hike . □ [V P n] The insurers have started hiking up premiums by huge amounts. □ [V n P ] Big banks were hiking their rates up.
hik|er /ha I kə r / (hikers ) N‑COUNT A hiker is a person who is going for a long walk in the countryside for pleasure.
hi|lari|ous /h I leə riəs/ ADJ If something is hilarious , it is extremely funny and makes you laugh a lot. □ We thought it was hilarious when we first heard about it. ● hi|lari|ous|ly ADV [usu ADV adj, ADV with v] □ She found it hilariously funny.
hi|lar|ity /h I læ r I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Hilarity is great amusement and laughter.
hill ◆◇◇ /h I l/ (hills )
1 N‑COUNT A hill is an area of land that is higher than the land that surrounds it. □ We trudged up the hill to the stadium. □ …Maple Hill.
2 PHRASE If you say that someone is over the hill , you are saying rudely that they are old and no longer fit, attractive, or capable of doing useful work. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ He doesn't take kindly to suggestions that he is over the hill.
hill|bil|ly /h I lb I li/ (hillbillies ) N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a hillbilly , you are saying in a fairly rude way that you think they are uneducated and stupid because they come from the countryside. [AM , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
hill|ock /h I lək/ (hillocks ) N‑COUNT A hillock is a small hill.
hill|side /h I lsa I d/ (hillsides ) N‑COUNT A hillside is the sloping side of a hill.
hill|top /h I ltɒp/ (hilltops ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A hilltop is the top of a hill.
hilly /h I li/ (hillier , hilliest ) ADJ A hilly area has many hills. □ The areas where the fighting is taking place are hilly and densely wooded.
hilt /h I lt/ (hilts )
1 N‑COUNT The hilt of a sword, dagger, or knife is its handle.
2 PHRASE To the hilt and up to the hilt mean to the maximum extent possible or as fully as possible. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ The men who wield the power are certainly backing him to the hilt.
him ◆◆◆ /h I m/ Him is a third person singular pronoun. Him is used as the object of a verb or a preposition. 1 PRON You use him to refer to a man, boy, or male animal. □ John's aunt died suddenly and left him a surprisingly large sum. □ Is Sam there? Let me talk to him. □ My brother had a lovely dog. I looked after him for about a week.
2 PRON In written English, him is sometimes used to refer to a person without saying whether that person is a man or a woman. Some people dislike this use and prefer to use 'him or her' or 'them'. □ If the child sees the word 'hear', we should show him that this is the base word in 'hearing'.
him|self ◆◆◆ /h I mse lf/ Himself is a third person singular reflexive pronoun. Himself is used when the object of a verb or preposition refers to the same person as the subject of the verb, except in meaning 4 . 1 PRON You use himself to refer to a man, boy, or male animal. □ He smiles, pouring himself a cup of coffee. □ A driver blew up his car and himself after being stopped at a police checkpoint. □ William went away muttering to himself.