Hell n.
1. The place of the dead, or of souls after death; the grave; -- called in Hebrew sheol, and by the Greeks hades.
He descended into hell. --Book of Common Prayer.
Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell. --Ps. xvi. 10.
2. The place or state of punishment for the wicked after death; the abode of evil spirits. Hence, any mental torment; anguish. “Within him hell.”
It is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell. --Shak.
3. A place where outcast persons or things are gathered; as: (a) A dungeon or prison; also, in certain running games, a place to which those who are caught are carried for detention. (b) A gambling house. “A convenient little gambling hell for those who had grown reckless.” --W. Black. (c) A place into which a tailor throws his shreds, or a printer his broken type. --Hudibras.
Gates of hell. Script. See Gate, n., 4.