mall

American  

[mawl, mal] / mɔl, mæl /

noun

1. Also called shopping mall.  a large retail complex containing a variety of stores and often restaurants and other business establishments housed in a series of connected or adjacent buildings or in a single large building.

2. a large area, usually lined with shade trees and shrubbery, used as a public walk or promenade.

3. Chiefly Upstate New York.  a strip of land, usually planted or paved, separating lanes of opposite traffic on highways, boulevards, etc.

4. the game of pall-mall.

5. the mallet used in the game of pall-mall.

6. the place or alley where pall-mall was played.

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mall British  

/ mɔːl, mæl /

noun

1. a shaded avenue, esp one that is open to the public

2. short for shopping mall

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Etymology

Origin of mall

1635–45; the Mall, a fashionable tree-lined promenade in 18th-century London, where originally the game pall-mall ( def. ) was played; mell ²

Example Sentences

Whether folding clothes at a mall retailer or working the register at a supermarket, customer-service jobs have also been ripe fodder for movies about mindless work.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fleeing patrons seemed to have caused a traffic jam while crossing a nearby street from the mall.

From Los Angeles Times

Of course, for many shoppers on Friday, the pilgrimage to splurge at the local mall was about more than saving.

From Los Angeles Times

Fifteen-year-old American YouTuber Salish Matter unveiled her brand Sincerely Yours in October, drawing tens of thousands of people -- and police reinforcements -- to a launch event at a New Jersey mall.

From Barron's

So, this Friday, even though I don’t actually need anything, I’m going to hustle over to the mall to participate in the most beloved American ritual of all.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• market
• plaza
• shopping center
• shopping mall