a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)
(Christianity) the abode of Satan and the forces of evil; where sinners suffer eternal punishment; "Hurl'd headlong...To bottomless perdition, there to dwell"- John Milton; "a demon from the depths of the pit"
a cause of difficulty and suffering; "war is hell"; "go to blazes"
any place of pain and turmoil; "the hell of battle"; "the inferno of the engine room"; "when you're alone Christmas is the pits";
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure; "the south wall had a small window"; "the walls were covered with pictures"
a masonry fence (as around an estate or garden); "the wall followed the road"; "he ducked behind the garden wall and waited"
a layer of material that encloses space; "the walls of the cylinder were perforated"; "the container's walls were blue"
(anatomy) a layer (a lining or membrane) that encloses a structure; "stomach walls"
anything that suggests a wall in structure or function or effect; "a wall of water"; "a wall of smoke"; "a wall of prejudice"; "negotiations ran into a brick wall"
a vertical (or almost vertical) smooth rock face (as of a cave or mountain)
a difficult or awkward situation; "his back was to the wall"; "competition was pushing them to the wall"
an unstable construction with playing cards; "he built three levels of his cardcastle before it collapsed"
a speculative scheme that depends on unstable factors that the planner cannot control; "his proposal was nothing but a house of cards"; "a real estate bubble"