mall

noun

ˈmȯl 

 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

Synonyms

• boardwalk
• promenade
• walk

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

Whether in a bedtime story, a mall or an advertisement, Santa Claus and his red suit have remained iconic fixtures of holiday culture. —Aïda Amer, Axios, 25 Dec. 2024

And in recent years as more and more Americans turned to online shopping and e-commerce platforms flourished, malls have closed and major department stores have struggled − and their holiday traditions sometimes fall by the wayside. —Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2024

Kingsbridge Armory: It was supposed to be a mall, and then ice rinks. —John Freeman Gill, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024

Shopping centers and grocery stores While most businesses or malls will be closed, including the Glendale Galleria, Westfield Century City and the Citadel, others will have some open restaurants and public areas where visitors can enjoy the holiday decorations. —Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing mall

• pall-mall
• shopping mall
• strip mall

Kids Definition

mall

noun

ˈmȯl 

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.