plaza

noun

pla·​za ˈplä-zə  ˈpla- 

1

a

: a public square in a city or town

b

: an open area usually located near urban buildings and often featuring walkways, trees and shrubs, places to sit, and sometimes shops

2

: a place on a thoroughfare (such as a turnpike) at which all traffic must temporarily stop (as to pay tolls)

3

: an area adjacent to an expressway which has service facilities (such as a restaurant, gas station, and restrooms)

4

: shopping center

Examples of plaza in a Sentence

They put his statue in the town's plaza.

Recent Examples on the Web

Set the scene The Inn of the Five Graces sits just south of Santa Fe’s historic plaza in the Barrio de Analco district, one of the country's oldest residential neighborhoods. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026

But two new limestone plazas remain underwater, and new plantings were upended. — Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 18 Aug. 2026

Year-round, the downtown plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is typically a quiet place to stroll and maybe grab your morning coffee. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 18 Aug. 2026

Places like the waiting room, the pharmacy counter and the medical plaza are where patients spend the minutes before and after a care decision. — Kamya Elawadhi, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Latin platea broad street — more at place

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing plaza

• toll plaza

Rhymes for plaza

• causa

Kids Definition

plaza

noun

pla·​za ˈplaz-ə  ˈpläz- 

: a public square in a city or town