wall

noun

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\ ˈwȯl

Definition of wall

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : a high thick masonry structure forming a long rampart or an enclosure chiefly for defense —often used in plural

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

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

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

3 : the side of a footpath next to buildings

4 : an extreme or desperate position or a state of defeat, failure, or ruin the surrounded troops had their backs against the wall

5 : a material layer enclosing space the wall of a container heart walls

6 : 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

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

wall

verb (1)

walled; walling; walls

Definition of wall (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : to provide, cover with, or surround with or as if with a wall wall in the garden

b : to separate by or as if by a wall walled off half the house

2a : immure walled the monster up within the tomb— E. A. Poe

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

wall

verb (2)

walled; walling; walls

Definition of wall (Entry 3 of 3)

intransitive verb

of the eyes : to roll in a dramatic manner

transitive verb

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

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Synonyms for wall

Synonyms: Noun

Examples of wall in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Souza raced over and slid, leading with his left knee, to snag the ball before slamming into the wall. — Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2021 Josef Newgarden won the 12th pole of his career in the qualifying session, which ended abruptly when Santino Ferrucci crashed hard into the wall. — Jenna Fryer, Star Tribune, 13 June 2021 Bobal hit the victim on the back of the head, forced her into a wall and then continued to hit and push her, police said, until the victim was knocked over her walker and onto the floor. — Chris Perkins, sun-sentinel.com, 11 June 2021 Black walnut shelving was built into the wall, rather than on top of it. — House Beautiful, 10 June 2021 The insects crawled into the wall next to Highlands resident Debbie Rollins' fireplace, and Melissa Rueff likened the noise to the Twilight Zone theme music. — Ayana Archie, The Courier-Journal, 10 June 2021 When Hill, 25, smacked into the wall, his shoulder took the impact. — Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 10 June 2021 Mirrors have been a big recurring visual in the series, and Martin's basement has an impressive and large series of them built into a wall. — Rosie Knight, refinery29.com, 8 June 2021 Some guides teach anglers to think of hammering a nail into a wall, but Hartman says that often leads them to stop their rod too soon, robbing their cast of oomph. — Jon Gluck, Popular Mechanics, 8 June 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Bryan’s ability there to wall off their separate relationships entirely is key to making this all work. — Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 19 June 2021 Ultimately, the best solution would be to wall off Bayou Meto with levees and water control structures that would essentially convert it into a citadel that's independent from the watershed. — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 3 June 2021 By offering a higher rebate to a PBM for a medicine, but especially for a bundle of medicines, a drug maker can wall off rivals from gaining favorable formulary placement. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 2 June 2021 The court is considering whether Apple should be allowed to wall off its phones and tablets, only allowing apps to be installed through its App Store. — Ewan Spence, Forbes, 22 May 2021 The agency publishes guidelines for companies to improve their cybersecurity, advising them to conduct internal risk assessments, tighten up access to their networks and wall off sections of their systems to slow down attackers who gain entry. — David Uberti, WSJ, 13 May 2021 From tabletop treats to wall art, wine gifts, and plush pillows, here are the best Mother’s Day gifts for the home over $100. — Amanda Lauren, Forbes, 28 Apr. 2021 Rather than let builders wall off the water, state, and city authorities invoked Chapter 91, also known as the Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act. — BostonGlobe.com, 28 Apr. 2021 Ten months later, the My Texas House line launched on March 1 with 34 products ranging from decorative pillows to wall art to curtains. — Kimi Robinson, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2021

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.

History and Etymology for wall

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)

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Last Updated

21 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Wall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wall. Accessed 25 Jun. 2021.

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More Definitions for wall

wall

noun

English Language Learners Definition of wall

: a structure of brick, stone, etc., that surrounds an area or separates one area from another

: the structure that forms the side of a room or building

: the outer layer of something that is hollow (such as a part of the body or of a plant)

See the full definition for wall in the English Language Learners Dictionary

wall

noun

\ ˈwȯl

Kids Definition of wall

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : one of the sides of a room or building

2 : a solid structure (as of stone) built to enclose or shut off a space The property is surrounded by a brick wall.

3 : something that separates one thing from another a wall of mountains

4 : a layer of material enclosing space the heart wall the wall of a pipe

wall

verb

walled; walling

Kids Definition of wall (Entry 2 of 2)

: to build or have a wall in or around

wall

noun

\ ˈwȯl

Medical Definition of wall

: a structural layer surrounding a cavity, hollow organ, or mass of material molecules small enough to be absorbed through the intestinal wall— Josie Glausiusz muscles of the abdominal wall