1
a
: a relatively level paved or planted area adjoining a building
b
: a colonnaded porch or promenade
c
: a flat roof or open platform
2
a
: one of usually a series of horizontal ridges made in a hillside to increase cultivatable land, conserve moisture, or minimize erosion
b
: a raised embankment with the top leveled
3
: a level ordinarily narrow plain usually with steep front bordering a river, lake, or sea
also
: a similar undersea feature
4
a
: a row of houses or apartments on raised ground or a sloping site
b
: a group of row houses
c
: a strip of park in the middle of a street often planted with trees or shrubs
d
: street
5
: a section of a British soccer stadium set aside for standing spectators
terraced; terracing
1
: to provide (something, such as a building or hillside) with a terrace
2
: to make into a terrace
Synonyms
Examples of terrace in a Sentence
Noun
rice growing in hillside terraces
For sale: large three-bedroom house with adjoining terrace and garden.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark David, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2023
There’s a terrace on each floor, and the living spaces below are connected to the bedrooms above by non-scary stairs — a surprisingly rare feature in New York City apartments, where people are loathe to give over extra square feet to allow for a less terrifying grade — and floor-to-ceiling windows.
—Curbed, 1 Dec. 2023
The main floor opens to a covered terrace marked by arched supports softened by vines.
—Lauren Beale, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
The last 11 are in the atelier, a separate building next to the pool, and each comes with a huge terrace set in the middle of vines with an outdoor fire pit.
—Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2023
Perched on a hillside in the El Fortín neighborhood, its terraces look out over the twinkling nighttime city.
—Elisabeth Malkin, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023
Episode nine Nua: Modern Mediterranean hidden with an outdoor terrace tucked inside the Crescent Hotel.
—Michelle Duncan, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2023
All 43 sea-view rooms and villas—eight directly on the sand, others a mighty but rewarding 80 steps above and with enormous terraces—are gracefully decorated by Parisian interior designer François Champsaur, with walls painted peppery red, turmeric orange, mint green, or ultramarine blue.
—Angelina Villa-Clarke, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2023
The main level houses a vast, open-plan living room, which is lined with gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows that slide open to a spacious terrace.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 20 Nov. 2023
Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2023
Bring Style to a Slope Use cut stone or precast decorative wall blocks for a high-end landscaped look for sloped areas that need terracing.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2023
While Caesars is mum on the official overnight capacity limit, the hotel caps terrace occupants at 75 guests.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 23 Dec. 2022
How about perking up that drab Zone 5 to 8 patio or terrace with a sundial and some compact flowering plants?
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 5 Oct. 2022
That said, Peak is worth the effort, and apparently is so seven days a week for those who come for the view from The Edge terrace a floor below, or the snazzy bar that stocks more than 200 spirits.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 6 July 2022
Another popular option is to terrace sections of the slope within your lawn to create flat planting areas.
—oregonlive, 3 July 2022
The end result is 40 hillside residences designed by EYRC architects that neatly terrace down from just below Sunset Boulevard (across a plaza from the fashionable Pendry West Hollywood hotel) to Franklin Avenue.
—Kathy A. McDonald, Variety, 21 Dec. 2021
Finally, one last floor up is the private rooftop deck, with its lap pool and terrace both enclosed by sliding glass and topped by a retractable sun awning for shade.
—Howard Walker, Robb Report, 7 Dec. 2021
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Noun
At the back, a double-height wall of glass opens to a 700-square-foot terrace.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2023
There’s a terrace on each floor, and the living spaces below are connected to the bedrooms above by non-scary stairs — a surprisingly rare feature in New York City apartments, where people are loathe to give over extra square feet to allow for a less terrifying grade — and floor-to-ceiling windows.
—Curbed, 1 Dec. 2023
The main floor opens to a covered terrace marked by arched supports softened by vines.
—Lauren Beale, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
The last 11 are in the atelier, a separate building next to the pool, and each comes with a huge terrace set in the middle of vines with an outdoor fire pit.
—Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2023
Perched on a hillside in the El Fortín neighborhood, its terraces look out over the twinkling nighttime city.
—Elisabeth Malkin, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023
Episode nine Nua: Modern Mediterranean hidden with an outdoor terrace tucked inside the Crescent Hotel.
—Michelle Duncan, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2023
All 43 sea-view rooms and villas—eight directly on the sand, others a mighty but rewarding 80 steps above and with enormous terraces—are gracefully decorated by Parisian interior designer François Champsaur, with walls painted peppery red, turmeric orange, mint green, or ultramarine blue.
—Angelina Villa-Clarke, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2023
The main level houses a vast, open-plan living room, which is lined with gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows that slide open to a spacious terrace.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 20 Nov. 2023
Verb
All those stones Palacios lugged up the hill were used to terrace the garden and form a stairway up to two perches — a little stone bench and an oak tree with a low branch that forms a natural lounge chair.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2023
Bring Style to a Slope Use cut stone or precast decorative wall blocks for a high-end landscaped look for sloped areas that need terracing.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2023
While Caesars is mum on the official overnight capacity limit, the hotel caps terrace occupants at 75 guests.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 23 Dec. 2022
How about perking up that drab Zone 5 to 8 patio or terrace with a sundial and some compact flowering plants?
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 5 Oct. 2022
That said, Peak is worth the effort, and apparently is so seven days a week for those who come for the view from The Edge terrace a floor below, or the snazzy bar that stocks more than 200 spirits.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 6 July 2022
Another popular option is to terrace sections of the slope within your lawn to create flat planting areas.
—oregonlive, 3 July 2022
The end result is 40 hillside residences designed by EYRC architects that neatly terrace down from just below Sunset Boulevard (across a plaza from the fashionable Pendry West Hollywood hotel) to Franklin Avenue.
—Kathy A. McDonald, Variety, 21 Dec. 2021
Finally, one last floor up is the private rooftop deck, with its lap pool and terrace both enclosed by sliding glass and topped by a retractable sun awning for shade.
—Howard Walker, Robb Report, 7 Dec. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terrace.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near terrace
Cite this Entry
“Terrace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrace. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
terrace
1 of 2 noun
ter·race
ˈter-əs 
1
a
: a flat roof or open platform
b
: a level area next to a building
2
a
: a raised piece of land with the top leveled off
b
: one of a group of horizontal ridges made in a hillside to conserve moisture and prevent loss of soil for agriculture
3
: a row of houses on raised ground or a sloping site
terrace
2 of 2 verb
terraced; terracing
: to make into a terrace or supply with terraces
More from Merriam-Webster on terrace
Nglish: Translation of terrace for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of terrace for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about terrace
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