palace

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noun pal·ace \ ˈpa-ləs \

Definition of palace

1 a :the official residence of a chief of state (such as a monarch or a president)

b chiefly British :the official residence of an archbishop or bishop

2 a :a large stately house

b :a large public building

c :a highly decorated place for public amusement or refreshment

a movie palace

See palace defined for English-language learners

See palace defined for kids

Examples of palace in a Sentence

The town's old movie palace has been torn down.
the billionaire's “summer cottage” turned out to be an over-the-top palace

Recent Examples of palace from the Web

The Toyota car had stopped in front of a police van near the palace about 8:30 p.m. Friday, police said.

— thomas biesheuvel, Bloomberg.com, "Sword-Wielding Terrorist Attacks Officers Near Buckingham Palace," 26 Aug. 2017
The Macrons spent the night at a villa in the palace grounds where the family of the late communist leader Todor Zhivkov used to stay.

— alison mutler, The Seattle Times, "France’s Macron in Bulgaria on last leg of eastern EU tour," 25 Aug. 2017
The researchers believe that Plimpton 322 could have been used in surveying and construction, planning large projects like palaces and pyramids.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Researchers Discover Babylonian Tablet Is Ancient Trig Table," 25 Aug. 2017
But Mansfield and Wildberger contend that the Babylonians, expert surveyors, could have used their tables to construct palaces, temples, and canals.

— ron cowen, Science | AAAS, "This ancient Babylonian tablet may contain the first evidence of trigonometry," 24 Aug. 2017
And a venue that annually leaves in the dust every other sports palace in the area.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: End of baseball season can't come soon enough," 14 Aug. 2017
Take up residence in your own palace and direct the staff.

— bess matassa, Teen Vogue, "Weekly Horoscopes August Week 1," 28 July 2017
The move from the historic presidential palace, which is to be turned into a museum, marked not only the merger of the capital with its once-declining banlieues.

— The Economist, "If France’s reforms succeededWhat a Macron miracle could do for France and Europe," 13 July 2017
However the Navy hospital continued on in the pink palace at Inspiration Point and eventually added more buildings down the rear slope into Florida Canyon.

— jeanette steele, sandiegouniontribune.com, "100 years of Navy medicine in San Diego," 7 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of palace

Middle English palais, from Anglo-French, from Latin palatium, from Palatium, the Palatine Hill in Rome where the emperors' residences were built

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

palace Synonyms

Synonyms

castle, château, estate, hacienda, hall, manor, manor house, manse, mansion, villa

Related Words

showplace; abode, domicile, dwelling, habitation, hearth, home, house, lodging (s), pad, place; housing, nest, quarter (s), residency, roof; great house; country house, countryseat; aerie, penthouse; salon, suite, town house

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

palace

adjective

Definition of palace

1 :of or relating to a palace

2 :of, relating to, or involving the intimates of a chief executive

a palace revolution

palace politics

3 :luxurious, deluxe

See palace defined for English-language learners

Examples of palace in a Sentence

a palace railroad car that was built for a 19th-century robber baron

First Known Use of palace

14th century

palace Synonyms

Synonyms

Babylonian, deluxe, lavish, Lucullan (also Lucullian), luxe, luxuriant, luxury, opulent, luxurious, palatial, plush, plushy, silken, sumptuous

Antonyms

ascetic (also ascetical), austere, humble, no-frills, spartan

Related Words

costly, dear, expensive, precious, premium, rich; extravagant, grandiose, ostentatious, pretentious, showy; august, awesome, awful, baronial, beautiful, gorgeous, grand, heroic (also heroical), imposing, impressive, kingly, magnificent, majestic, monumental, noble, proud, regal, royal, splendid, stately; comfortable, cozy, homelike, homy), snug

Near Antonyms

economical, frugal, meager (or meagre), spare, stingy, thrifty

PALACE Defined for English Language Learners

palace

play

noun

Definition of palace for English Language Learners

: the official home of a king, queen, president, etc.
: a very large and impressive house
: a large and fancy public building

palace

adjective

Definition of palace for English Language Learners

: of or relating to a palace
: of, relating to, or involving people in the government

PALACE Defined for Kids

palace

play

noun pal·ace \ ˈpa-ləs \

Definition of palace for Students

1 :the home of a ruler

2 :a large or splendid house

Learn More about palace

See words that rhyme with palace Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for palace Spanish Central: Translation of palace Nglish: Translation of palace for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of palace for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about palace

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palace

Definition of palace

From the M-W Editors

Examples of palace in a Sentence

Recent Examples of palace from the Web

Origin and Etymology of palace

palace Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Government and Politics Terms

palace

Definition of palace

Examples of palace in a Sentence

First Known Use of palace

palace Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to PALACE

Related Phrases

PALACE Defined for English Language Learners

palace

Definition of palace for English Language Learners

palace

Definition of palace for English Language Learners

PALACE Defined for Kids

palace

Definition of palace for Students

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