arcade

noun

ar·​cade är-ˈkād 

plural arcades

1

: a long arched building or gallery

2

a

: an arched covered passageway or avenue (as between shops)

b

chiefly British : a building that includes many shops

A job fair … today will introduce locals to the details of the 250 jobs that a new shopping arcade will bring when its doors open this autumn.

—The Journal (Newcastle, England)

3

: a series of arches with their columns or piers

4

: an amusement center having coin-operated games

Examples of arcade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While grand cinematic simulators with deep systems and flight models dominated the early part of the decade, the late '90s saw the emergence of more arcade-style dogfighting games like Rogue Squadron and Colony Wars. —Alan Bradley, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2026

Their set covered the whole history of Sega, including music from games from the peak of the arcade era, like Virtua Fighter and Daytona USA, more modern sounds like music from Phantasy Star, and heavy beats from the Yakuza series. —Billboard Japan, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2026

If anything, the minor charges within them could well have been used to corroborate the boys’ claims that their only plan that day had been to jimmy open some arcade machines. —Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026

Housed in the old Holy Name Catholic Church, the arcade is packed with vintage video arcade games, including the classics like Pac-Man, as well as shooter and racing games. —Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Italian arcata, from arco arch, from Latin arcus

First Known Use

1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing arcade

• amusement arcade
• arcade game
• penny arcade
• video arcade

Rhymes for arcade

• afraid
• allayed
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted
• cascade

Kids Definition

arcade

noun

ar·​cade är-ˈkād 

1

: a row of arches with the columns that support them

2

: an arched or covered passageway (as between shops)

3

: a place with many games to be played by putting coins or tokens in them

Medical Definition

arcade

noun

ar·​cade är-ˈkād 

1

: an anatomical structure comprising a series of arches

2

: dental arch