mall

noun

ˈmȯl How to pronounce mall (audio)
 especially British and for sense 1  ˈmal
1
: an alley used for pall-mall
2
[The Mall, promenade in London, originally a pall-mall alley]
a
: a usually public area often set with shade trees and designed as a promenade or as a pedestrian walk
b
: a usually paved or grassy strip between two roadways
3
a
: an urban shopping area featuring a variety of shops surrounding a usually open-air concourse reserved for pedestrian traffic
b
: a usually large suburban building or group of buildings containing various shops with associated passageways

Examples of mall in a Sentence

They spent the afternoon shopping at the mall. the pedestrian traffic through the grassy mall is heaviest during the summer lunch hours
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Middletown purchased the zombie mall, near Interstate 75 in Butler County, for $10 million in June. Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Dec. 2024 The mall also brings back nostalgic feelings for Hyams. Melissa Repko, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024 Read on for some of the best mall brands to shop now. Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024 The installation consisted of six display kiosks in the center of the main store aisle, providing dramatic images and sounds in the store that could also be heard and seen in the mall. David Moin, WWD, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mall 

Word History

Etymology

short for obsolete pall-mall mallet used in pall-mall

First Known Use

circa 1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mall was circa 1660

Dictionary Entries Near mall

Cite this Entry

“Mall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mall. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

mall

noun
1
: a shaded walk : promenade
2
: a usually paved or grassy strip between two roadways
3
a
: a group of stores and often restaurants arranged about an often covered way for pedestrians
b
: a usually large suburban building or group of buildings containing shops and often restaurants with connecting passageways
Etymology

a shortened form of pall-mall "a game similar to croquet formerly played in England," literally "ball-mallet"

Word Origin
In Italy in the 1500s a popular alley game similar to croquet was known as pallamaglio, from palla "ball," and maglio "mallet." The game (and word) was adopted by the French as pallemalle and in the 1600s by the English as pall-mall. The alley on which the game was played came to be known as a mall. One of the best known of these alleys, covered with sand and crushed shells, was located in London's St. James Park and was known as "The Mall." After the game lost favor, the Mall at St. James, as it continued to be called, was turned into a fashionable walkway with trees and flowers. Similar open-air places came to be called malls also. In the 20th century the word was applied to other public spaces, including the shopping complexes we now know as malls.

More from Merriam-Webster on mall

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