hall

noun \ ˈhȯl \

Definition of hall

1 a :the castle or house of a medieval king or noble

b :the chief living room in such a structure

2 :the manor house of a landed proprietor

3 :a large usually imposing building for public or semipublic purposes

4 a (1) :a building used by a college or university for some special purpose

(2) :dormitory

b :a college or a division of a college at some universities

c (1) :the common dining room of an English college

(2) :a meal served there

5 a :the entrance room of a building :lobby

b :a corridor or passage in a building

6 :a large room for assembly :auditorium

7 :a place used for public entertainment

See hall defined for English-language learners

See hall defined for kids

Examples of hall in a Sentence

The bathroom is down the hall.
Her office is at the end of the hall.
I'll meet you in the front hall.
The front door opens onto a large hall.
We rented a hall for the wedding reception.

Recent Examples of hall from the Web

Moving her to a smaller hall will really emphasize her size.

— steve johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Move over, Sue. World's largest dinosaur taking center stage at Field Museum," 30 Aug. 2017
With approximately 500 exhibitors, over 19,000 ticketed events, and entire convention halls and stadiums filled to capacity with board games, roleplaying games, miniatures games, and everything in between, Gen Con is a lot to take in.

— aaron zimmerman, Ars Technica, "The hottest new board games from Gen Con 2017," 26 Aug. 2017
Early plans for a milkshake bar were suspended to avoid competing with Lichita's, a food-hall stall that serves ice cream and paleta pops.

— eric velasco, AL.com, "Bar named after Pizitz founder brings creative cocktails, craft sodas to food hall," 24 Aug. 2017
Things, unsurprisingly, went awry as soon as the group entered the dining hall for lunch.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Black Students Say ‘Make America Great Again’ Girls Knew Howard University Was An HBCU," 24 Aug. 2017
The 87-year-old lodge, a dining hall, a caretaker cabin, two dormitories and five rental cabins burned, as did more than 100 small cabins that were privately owed by Shriners.

— j. harry jones, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Shriners dealt huge setback in campground fire lawsuit," 20 Aug. 2017
A world without Roe is a world where the fate of a woman’s body — its red fleshy insides, its tubes and its fluids, its unruly growths and wild transfigurations — is decided upon by cabals of men in the cold, marble halls of statehouses.

— joanna petrone, Longreads, "Pregnant, then Ruptured," 18 Aug. 2017
Shocked, Arya takes the letter and leaves, and Littlefinger emerges from the shadows on the opposite end of the hall.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 5: 18 Things to Know About "Eastwatch"," 14 Aug. 2017
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, the state's oldest continuously operating pool hall and the 1928 Griffin Auto Company Building, a former Model T Ford assembly plant, will receive makeovers as well.

— maria carter, Country Living, "This Small Southern Town Is Spending $100 Million to Keep People from Leaving," 11 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of hall

Middle English halle, from Old English heall; akin to Old High German halla hall, Latin cella small room, celare to conceal — more at hell

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

hall Synonyms

Synonyms

entranceway, entry, entryway, foyer, hallway, lobby, vestibule

Related Words

antechamber, anteroom, lounge, waiting room; door, doorway, entrance, portal, threshold

Hall

biographical name \ ˈhȯl \

Definition of Hall

Charles Francis 1821–1871 American arctic explorer

Hall

biographical name

Definition of Hall

Charles Martin 1863–1914 American chemist and manufacturer

Hall

biographical name

Definition of Hall

G(ranville) Stanley 1844–1924 American psychologist and educator

Hall

biographical name

Definition of Hall

James Norman 1887–1951 American novelist

Hall

biographical name

Definition of Hall

John L(ewis) 1934– American physicist

HALL Defined for English Language Learners

hall

noun

Definition of hall for English Language Learners

: a usually long, narrow passage inside a building with doors that lead to rooms on the sides
: the area inside the entrance of a building
: a large room or building for meetings, entertainment, etc.