arcade

American  

[ahr-keyd] / ɑrˈkeɪd /

noun

arcades plural

1. Architecture.

   1. a series of arches supported on piers or columns.

   2. an arched, roofed-in gallery.

2. an arched or covered passageway, usually with shops on each side.

3. an establishment, public area, etc., containing games of a mechanical and electronic type, as pinball and video games, that can be played by a customer for a fee.

4. an ornamental carving, as on a piece of furniture, in the form of a row of arches.

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verb (used with object)

arcaded, arcading

1. to provide with an arcade.

arcade British  

/ ɑːˈkeɪd /

noun

1. a set of arches and their supporting columns

2. a covered and sometimes arched passageway, usually with shops on one or both sides

3. a building, or part of a building, with an arched roof

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• arcades
  plural

Etymology

Origin of arcade

First recorded in 1725–35; from French, from Italian arcata “arch,” equivalent to arc(o) “arch” + -ata; see arc -ate ¹

Explanation

An arcade is a structure made by enclosing a series of arches and columns. The word's roots go back to the Latin word "arcus," which means arc or bow. An arched, covered passageway with shops or stalls on the sides is also called an arcade and was a precursor to the shopping mall. The Burlington Arcade in London opened in 1819 and was the first shopping arcade of its kind in Britain. It still exists and is the longest covered shopping street in England. As more of these shopping arcades opened, they also began offering games and eventually the word's meaning came to include video arcades, where you can play coin-operated games.

Example Sentences

Arcade dropped the agent to focus on its AI agent authorization technology, a major challenge for businesses as they scale the use of agents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026

Arcade last year raised $12 million in a seed round led by Laude Ventures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026

Eleri said she's trying to keep a "good balance" of managing the business in Cardiff's Royal Arcade and her education.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

The 77-year-old wanted his plaque recording the fact placed in Spillers Records, in Cardiff's Morgan Arcade.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Then he had wandered into the Penny Arcade on Royal Street to see whether any new games had been installed.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

• gallery
• mall
• walkway