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

There are classic old-school games to play for free such as Jenga, Tic Tac Toe and arcade box to play Mortal Combat. —Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026

Although Rave Racer never got that home port, Namco did acknowledge it in subsequent Ridge Racer releases after the series’ arcade run ended. —Adam Ismail, The Drive, 5 Feb. 2026

COAMs, regulated by the Georgia Lottery, are video poker-style arcade machines commonly found in gas stations and convenience stores. —Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026

No, the wind patterns won’t be the same and no, the ball won’t carom off a chain-link fence like it would against the brick arcade in San Francisco. —Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 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