a corridor or passageway in a building.
the large entrance room of a house or building; vestibule; lobby.
a large room or building for public gatherings; auditorium.
convention hall; concert hall.
a large building for residence, instruction, or other purposes, at a college or university.
a college at a university.
(in English colleges)
a large room in which the members and students dine.
dinner in such a room.
British. a mansion or large residence, especially one on a large estate.
British Informal. music hall.
the chief room in a medieval castle or similar structure, used for eating, sleeping, and entertaining.
the castle, house, or similar structure of a medieval chieftain or noble.
Southeastern U.S.: Older Use. the living room or family room of a house.
Asaph 1829–1907, U.S. astronomer: discovered the satellites of Mars.
Charles Francis, 1821–71, U.S. Arctic explorer.
Charles Martin, 1863–1914, U.S. chemist, metallurgist, and manufacturer.
Donald, 1928–2018, U.S. poet and editor.
Granville Stanley, 1846–1924, U.S. psychologist and educator.
James Norman, 1887–1951, U.S. novelist.
(Marguerite) Radclyffe 1880–1943, English writer.
Prince, 1748?–1807, U.S. clergyman and abolitionist, born in Barbados: may have fought at Bunker Hill.
a room serving as an entry area within a house or building
(sometimes capital) a building for public meetings
(often capital) the great house of an estate; manor
a large building or room used for assemblies, worship, concerts, dances, etc
a residential building, esp in a university; hall of residence
a large room, esp for dining, in a college or university
a meal eaten in this room
the large room of a house, castle, etc
a passage or corridor into which rooms open
informal (often plural) short for music hall
Charles Martin. 1863–1914, US chemist: discovered the electrolytic process for producing aluminium
Sir John. 1824–1907, New Zealand statesman, born in England: prime minister of New Zealand (1879–82)
Sir Peter. born 1930, English stage director: director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (1960–73) and of the National Theatre (1973–88)
( Margueritte ) Radclyffe . 1883–1943, British novelist and poet. Her frank treatment of a lesbian theme in the novel The Well of Loneliness (1928) led to an obscenity trial
before 900; Middle English; Old English heall; cognate with Old Norse hǫll, German Halle; akin to Old English helan to cover, hide, Latin cēlāre to hide ( see conceal)
A hall is the space in a house or building that leads to individual rooms. Some homes are organized with several bedrooms leading off one long hall. Your house might have a front hall just inside the main door, or if you live in an apartment building, your door might be at the end of a hall on the fourth floor. Another kind of hall is a large room meant for holding events, like a village hall, exhibition hall, or lecture hall. College campuses often include many halls — these are commonly dormitory buildings, which include hall in their names.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Plus, Graham Platner gets a warm reception at a Maine town hall, and another Democrat proposes a bill to restrict how the Pentagon uses AI.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Leonor said her sister and brother, who co-own a banquet hall in the city of Commerce, soon lost a year’s worth of bookings.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Applauded by entrepreneurs, friendly foreign dignitaries and officials, inside the congress hall the Russian president could style himself as a super strong leader.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
In the town of Standford less than 20 kilometres inland, another Malawian national, Talibo Mbewe, said he had been sheltering at the community hall for two days.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
At least five more times before first period — on the playground, in the lavatory, in the hall.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
