arcade

noun

ar·​cade är-ˈkād How to pronounce arcade (audio)
plural arcades
1
: a long arched building or gallery
2
a
: an arched covered passageway or avenue (as between shops)
b
chiefly British : a building that includes many shops
A job fair … today will introduce locals to the details of the 250 jobs that a new shopping arcade will bring when its doors open this autumn.The Journal (Newcastle, England)
3
: a series of arches with their columns or piers
4
: an amusement center having coin-operated games

Examples of arcade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To examine this, Hanke and the team essentially set up an arcade for seals with a gaming challenge. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 May 2025 The game was officially released on May 22, 1980 in Japanese arcades before launching in the United States in October 1980, according to the Pac-Man website. Melina Khan, USA Today, 23 May 2025 Among the rubble, Bradburn managed to find a prop gun on the floor and an arcade with the original machines. Reem Amro, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2025 Unlike all those examples, though, the Davis Center feels open and airy — more like the park’s Bethesda Terrace, which negotiates the drop from the mall to the lake near 72nd Street with staircases that flank an arcade. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for arcade

Word History

Etymology

French, from Italian arcata, from arco arch, from Latin arcus

First Known Use

1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of arcade was in 1685

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Arcade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcade. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

arcade

noun
ar·​cade är-ˈkād How to pronounce arcade (audio)
1
: a row of arches with the columns that support them
2
: an arched or covered passageway (as between shops)
3
: a place with many games to be played by putting coins or tokens in them

Medical Definition

arcade

noun
ar·​cade är-ˈkād How to pronounce arcade (audio)
1
: an anatomical structure comprising a series of arches
2

More from Merriam-Webster on arcade

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!