# tor

/ˈtɔɹ/ (US) · /tˈɔː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tor
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. rocky hilltop

noun · CEFR C2 · British English

a high, rocky hill or a pile of rocks on top of a hill, common in places like South West England.

For teachers: a prominent, craggy outcrop of rock on the summit of a hill, typically formed by the weathering of granite.

- We climbed to the top of the tor to look at the view across the moor.
- The granite tors of Dartmoor stand as silent monuments to millions of years of relentless wind and water erosion.

Usage: Commonly used in British English, specifically regarding the landscape of Devon and Cornwall.

## Examples

- We climbed to the top of the tor to see the view.
- The hikers used the granite tor as a landmark to find their way across the foggy moorland.
- Centuries of chemical weathering and physical erosion have shaped the granite into the distinctive tor formations that now dominate the local skyline.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.