English idiom

over the hill

Register · Informal CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

no longer young or at one's best

Why this phrase?

Life pictured as a journey over a hill: past the summit, everything is downhill from there.

Example

“He jokes that he's over the hill at forty.”

Dictionary details

Component words

hill

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

the writing on the wall

clear and unmistakable signs that failure or disaster is coming

kick the bucket

to die

jump the shark

to reach the point of absurd decline, past which a product or franchise loses credibility

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

markdown