arcade

noun ar·cade \ är-ˈkād \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of arcade

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

See arcade defined for English-language learners

See arcade defined for kids

Recent Examples of arcade from the Web

Carlo Cracco, meanwhile, won the bid to make over a four-story building in the arcade, and brought in Studio Peregalli for the transformation.

— hamish bowles, Vogue, "With Striking Interior Design, Milan’s Cracco Restaurant Evokes Singular Elegance," 29 June 2018
GlowZone, at 13150 Breton Ridge St. in Willowbrook, also features a rock climbing wall, arcade, and miniature golf.

— fernando alfonso iii, Houston Chronicle, "Peek inside the indoor play park GlowZone is now open in northwest Houston," 19 June 2018
The facility featured outdoor bowling, archery, tennis, driving range, badminton, table tennis, horseshoes, shuffleboard, arcade and, of course, miniature golf.

— dawn mitchell, Indianapolis Star, "RetroIndy: Little America and Wonderland kiddie park," 15 June 2018
A few months later, the sprawling, 12,000-square-foot Harding Theater nearby became the Emporium, an arcade bar from a Chicago company.

— justin phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "Divisadero has become SF’s most prolific new restaurant neighborhood," 8 June 2018
On Sunday, June 10, Rad Fake Productions and What's for Breakfast Records team up for What's for Brek-Fest at the Emporium arcade bar in Wicker Park.

— leor galil, Chicago Reader, "Goth doesn’t age, but DJ Scary Lady Sarah’s Nocturna party is turning 30," 5 June 2018
Up-Down retro arcade bar, which is under construction at 615 E. Brady St. Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

— tom daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "No ax to throw? Proposed Milwaukee Harbor District tavern combines football and bowling," 24 May 2018
There will be kids’ activities, including pony rides, face painting as well as a video-game arcade, water tag and gaga dodgeball.

— rosemarie dowell, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Lake County eager to celebrate Fourth of July with fun, food, fireworks," 28 June 2018
There's also a game arcade, bumper boats and miniature golf.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "10 fun (and weird) facts about Louisville you probably didn't know," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arcade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of arcade

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1685

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

ARCADE Defined for English Language Learners

arcade

noun

Definition of arcade for English Language Learners

: a row of arches that are supported by columns
: an arched or covered passageway with many shops; also : a building that includes many shops
: a place with many games that can be played by putting coins in them

ARCADE Defined for Kids

arcade

noun ar·cade \ är-ˈkād \

Definition of arcade for Students

1 : a row of arches supported by columns

2 : an arched or covered passageway between two rows of shops

3 : a place with electronic games that are operated by coins or tokens

Medical Dictionary

arcade

noun ar·cade \ är-ˈkād \

medical Definition of arcade

1 : an anatomical structure comprising a series of arches

2 : dental arch

Learn More about arcade

See words that rhyme with arcade Spanish Central: Translation of arcade Nglish: Translation of arcade for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of arcade for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arcade

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arcade

Definition of arcade

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Origin and Etymology of arcade

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ARCADE Defined for English Language Learners

arcade

Definition of arcade for English Language Learners

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arcade

Definition of arcade for Students

Medical Dictionary

arcade

medical Definition of arcade

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Definition of arcade for English Language Learners

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