wall

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noun

ˈwȯl

Synonyms of wall next

: a high thick masonry structure forming a long rampart or an enclosure chiefly for defense

—often used in plural

: a masonry fence around a garden, park, or estate

: a structure that serves to hold back pressure (as of water or sliding earth)

: one of the sides of a room or building connecting floor and ceiling or foundation and roof

: the side of a footpath next to buildings

: an extreme or desperate position or a state of defeat, failure, or ruin

the surrounded troops had their backs against the wall

: a material layer enclosing space

the wall of a container

heart walls

: something resembling a wall (as in appearance, function, or effect)

especially : something that acts as a barrier or defense

a wall of reserve

tariff wall

wall-like

ˈwȯl-ˌlīk

adjective

wall

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verb (1)

walled; walling; walls

transitive verb

: to provide, cover with, or surround with or as if with a wall

wall in the garden

: to separate by or as if by a wall

walled off half the house

: immure

walled the monster up within the tomb—

E. A. Poe

: to close (an opening) with or as if with a wall

wall

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verb (2)

walled; walling; walls

intransitive verb

of the eyes : to roll in a dramatic manner

transitive verb

: to roll (one's eyes) in a dramatic manner

Phrases

off the wall

slang : crazy

the plan was off the wall

up the wall

slang : into a state of intense agitation, annoyance, or frustration

the noise drove me up the wall

Example Sentences

Noun A stone wall marks off their property. the Great Wall of China the walls of the ancient city She hung posters on the walls of her room. This apartment building has thin walls, and you can hear everything your neighbors say. Muscles in the abdominal wall help protect organs. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Daniel Soule’s set emphasizes the cold, gray atmosphere of Lear’s domain, with movable sections of wall that could have been repurposed from the metal skin of an army barracks, or even a Costco. —

Peter Marks, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2023 This theory was also supported by the nearby presence of the Limes, a fortification that made up part of the northern border wall of the Roman Empire. —

Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Mar. 2023 Removing the fourth side of the wall resulted in the dining room facing the kitchen. —

Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2023 Tens of thousands of steel slats once intended to become part of the wall sit rusting on the ground near the border. —

Samantha-jo Roth, Washington Examiner, 23 Feb. 2023 One multifunctional piece extends along much of one wall, and acts as an extra sofa and banquette, an entertainment center, and as storage. —

Kimberley Mok, Treehugger, 21 Feb. 2023 Based on Daniela Krien’s novel, the film is set in the summer of 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin wall, in the countryside of former East Germany. —

Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 17 Feb. 2023 Vaginal atrophy, or thinning of the vaginal wall, is caused by a decrease in the hormone estrogen which can occur after menopause. —

Mikayla Morell, Health, 13 Feb. 2023 In the pictures, Azalea smiled while holding her happy boy close as the mother-son pair posed in front of a wall of colorful balloons. —

Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2023

Verb

What help arrived from Iran and Russia was not nearly enough, exposing the limits of the alliances Assad had relied on to wall himself off from most of the world. —

Declan Walsh, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Feb. 2023 What help arrived from Iran and Russia was not nearly enough, exposing the limits of the alliances Mr. al-Assad had relied on to wall himself off from most of the world. —

Declan Walsh, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2023 The leaders of New York’s Hasidic community have built scores of private schools to educate children in Jewish law, prayer and tradition — and to wall them off from the secular world. —

Seyward Darby, Longreads, 14 Sep. 2022 The leaders of New York’s Hasidic community have built scores of private schools to educate children in Jewish law, prayer and tradition — and to wall them off from the secular world. —

Brian M. Rosenthal Jonah Markowitz, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2022 The bankruptcy judge in Texas, Christopher M. Lopez, is expected to determine whether Jones engaged in fraudulent tactics designed to wall off assets from creditors. —

Jonathan O'connell, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2022 The bankruptcy judge in Texas, Christopher M. Lopez, is expected to determine whether Jones engaged in fraudulent tactics designed to wall off assets from creditors. —

Jonathan O'connell, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Nov. 2022 What started as a small demonstration has turned into a two-week standoff as residents and environmentalists fight outgoing Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s effort to wall off sections of the U.S.-Mexico border with shipping containers. —

Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 14 Dec. 2022 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English weall; akin to Middle High German wall; both from Latin vallum rampart, from vallus stake, palisade; perhaps akin to Old Norse vǫlr staff — more at wale

Verb (2)

Middle English (Scots) wawlen, probably from Middle English wawil- (in wawil-eghed walleyed)

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of wall was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century