mall

noun \ ˈmȯl , especially British and for sense 1 ˈmal \

Updated on: 16 May 2018

Definition of mall

1 : an alley used for pall-mall

[The Mall, promenade in London, originally a pall-mall alley]

a : a usually public area often set with shade trees and designed as a promenade or as a pedestrian walk

b : a usually paved or grassy strip between two roadways

3 a : an urban shopping area featuring a variety of shops surrounding a usually open-air concourse reserved for pedestrian traffic

b : a usually large suburban building or group of buildings containing various shops with associated passageways

See mall defined for English-language learners

See mall defined for kids

Examples of mall in a Sentence

They spent the afternoon shopping at the mall.
the pedestrian traffic through the grassy mall is heaviest during the summer lunch hours

Recent Examples of mall from the Web

The venue will be located on the south side of the mall near Sears and J.C. Penney.

— john-john williams iv, baltimoresun.com, "Main Event Entertainment opens Tuesday at The Mall in Columbia," 8 May 2018
Authorities are searching for a person of interest after a woman was found stabbed to death in the parking structure of a mall in Rolling Hills Estates.

— brittny mejia, latimes.com, "Man sought after fatal stabbing of woman at Rolling Hills Estates mall," 4 May 2018
Market Grille, Manchester Market Grille takes advantage of its hilltop view and serene setting above Buckland Street, insulated somewhat from the busy hustle of the mall.

— leeanne griffin, courant.com, "Five Places (Plus) To Grab Drink On The Patio In Greater Hartford," 2 May 2018
Footage includes scenes of water pouring through the ceiling of a mall there.

— Washington Post, "Heavy rains pummel Cairo and parts of Egypt," 25 Apr. 2018
The homes are located in a neighborhood west of the outlet mall in Castle Rock.

— CBS News, "Strong winds fuel fire that destroys homes in Colorado," 17 Apr. 2018
Don’t trust the people at the Best Buy or store in the mall.

— jeffrey van camp, WIRED, "Which Unlimited Data Plan is Best?," 26 Mar. 2018
Most freestanding locations open regular hours; for stores in malls, hours may vary.

— taysha murtaugh, Country Living, "16 Stores Open on Easter Sunday—and 11 That Are Closed," 23 Mar. 2018
The incident began that afternoon in the parking lot of the mall, Sugar Land police said in a press release.

— dana burke, Houston Chronicle, "Three arrested in Sugar Land mall shooting, kidnapping," 8 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of mall

short for obsolete pall-mall mallet used in pall-mall

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1660

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

mall Synonyms

Synonyms

boardwalk, promenade, walk;

Related Words

walkway;

arcade, colonnade, galleria, gallery;

plaza;

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

MALL Defined for English Language Learners

mall

noun

Definition of mall for English Language Learners

: a large building or group of buildings containing stores of many different kinds and sizes
: a public area where people walk

MALL Defined for Kids

mall

noun \ ˈmȯl \

Definition of mall for Students

1 : a large building or group of buildings containing a variety of shops

2 : a public area for pedestrians

History for mall

In Italy in the 1500s a popular game similar to croquet was known as pallamaglio, from palla, “ball,” and maglio, “mallet.” The game (and word) was adopted by the French as pallemalle and in the 1600s by the English as pall-mall. The alley on which the game was played came to be known as a mall. One of the best known of these alleys, covered with sand and crushed shells, was located in London's St. James Park and was known as “The Mall.” After the game lost favor, the Mall at St. James, as it continued to be called, was turned into a fashionable walkway with trees and flowers. Similar open-air places came to be called malls also. In the 20th century the word was applied to other public spaces, including the shopping complexes we now know as malls.