hall

noun

ˈhȯl 

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

Synonyms

• hallway
• foyer
• lobby

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 on the Web

At the heart of it all is Art Basel 2025, where over 290 leading galleries present works by more than 4,000 artists across the halls of Messe Basel - and beyond. —Nel-Olivia Waga, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

Arnie Carter stood on the third floor of the federal immigration courthouse in downtown Denver on Tuesday, monitoring the activities of federal agents who were walking around the halls. —Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 20 June 2025

This evolution has seemingly placed him in the shoes of 2018 Von Miller, a future hall of famer who helped a young edge rusher out of North Carolina State develop into two-time Pro Bowler during their time together on the Denver Broncos. —C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025

Reviewers appreciate that the hall tree doesn’t require any drilling—all hardware needed is included, and one shopper was even able to get it up in an hour solo. —Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hall

• borough hall
• city hall
• dance hall
• dining hall
• entrance hall
• fire hall
• hall monitor
• hall of residence
• hall pass
• hiring hall
• lecture hall
• mess hall
• music hall
• residence hall
• study hall
• town hall

Rhymes for hall

• ahl
• all
• aul
• bawl
• brawl
• call
• caul
• crawl
• dol
• doll
• drawl
• fall

Kids Definition

hall

noun

ˈhȯl 

1

a

: a large or impressive residence or public building

symphony hall

b

: one of the buildings of a college or university

Science Hall

residence halls

2

a

: the entrance room of a building : lobby

b

: a corridor or passage in a building

3

: a large room for assembly : auditorium

4

: a place used for public entertainment

Biographical Definition

Hall 1 of 6

biographical name (1)

ˈhȯl 

Charles Francis 1821–1871 American arctic explorer

Hall

2 of 6

biographical name (2)

Charles Martin 1863–1914 American chemist and manufacturer

Hall

3 of 6

biographical name (3)

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

Hall

4 of 6

biographical name (4)

James Norman 1887–1951 American novelist

Hall

5 of 6

biographical name (5)

Jeffrey C(onnor) 1945–     American biologist

Hall

6 of 6

biographical name (6)

John L(ewis) 1934–     American physicist