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 Bunny photo time: Fashion Valley hosts a Bunny Photo Experience from 3 to 7 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays through March 30 at the Fashion Valley mall, 7007 Friars Road. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 That began in 1958 when Ottavio and Rosita Missoni created a provocative fitting at the Rinascente mall in Milan, covering the eyes of the mannequins with colored, striped scarves. Billboard Italy, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 And Ikea is extending its community beyond just stores and online to the mall itself. Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Forever 21 was bought out of bankruptcy by Authentic Brands and mall operators Simon and Brookfield the following year. Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024 Back then, the mall was a haven, where teens first tasted freedom from their parents. Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024 Wilson grabbed a gun from his brother's hip and chased the group out of the mall, where an exchange of gunfire occurred, prosecutors said. The Indianapolis Star, 29 Feb. 2024 Tuesday's announcement follows several other closures for Macy's in past years and follows larger industry trends of a difficult business climate for big box retailers like Macy's, particularly in malls. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2024 Mini Cat Town has four Bay Area locations that offer cat visits at regional shopping hubs, giving shoppers a break from the mall and a chance to spend some quiet time with a few fluffballs that are available to take home. Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 18 Mar. 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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