plaza

noun

pla·​za ˈplä-zə  ˈpla- 

1

a

: a public square in a city or town

b

: an open area usually located near urban buildings and often featuring walkways, trees and shrubs, places to sit, and sometimes shops

2

: a place on a thoroughfare (such as a turnpike) at which all traffic must temporarily stop (as to pay tolls)

3

: an area adjacent to an expressway which has service facilities (such as a restaurant, gas station, and restrooms)

4

: shopping center

Examples of plaza in a Sentence

They put his statue in the town's plaza.

Recent Examples on the Web

Martinez’s alleged crime: sponsoring a law that would have benefited the owner of a shopping plaza in his West Kendall district in exchange for $15,000. —Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 3 June 2024

Overhead doors open onto a stone plaza on one side and glass doors lead to a 2,500-square-foot deck on the other. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2024

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff Angie Liu works at an Asian employment agency near Fatty Ding's plaza in Monterey Park, California, April 4, 2024. —Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024

By the start of the convocation about 7:30 p.m., the plaza in front of the stadium had emptied of crowds, but the protesters continued without incident. —Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 9 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Latin platea broad street — more at place

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing plaza

• toll plaza

Kids Definition

plaza

noun

pla·​za ˈplaz-ə  ˈpläz- 

: a public square in a city or town