ˈoʊvər ðə hɪl
General
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- Past the peak of a hill on the descent
What does "over the hill" mean?
- Past one's prime; too old
- Declining due to age
Examples
- He thinks he's over the hill at 40.
- Many athletes are considered over the hill by 35.
- I'm not over the hill yet—I can still compete!
Origin
Life as a hill—climbing up (youth), reaching the peak (prime), and going down (old age). Being 'over the hill' means past your best years.
How to use it
Often considered offensive. Can be used self-deprecatingly for humor.
Similar expressions
past one's prime
aging
declining
old
Opposites
in one's prime
young
at one's peak
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "over the hill" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.