arcade

American  

[ahr-kayd] / 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

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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

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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

See Examples For:

arcade arcades arcaded arcading

The next contender is Street Fighter, the arcade classic fighting game that's been separating fans from their loose change since 1987.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Plus, arcade tokens tend to be cheaper than tickets for a concert or sports match.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

We might get some candy to really feel the arcade vibes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The company, he said, will open a "cultural, artistic, fashion, art, retail food experience" in Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the ornate 19th century shopping arcade where the first Prada boutique opened in 1913.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Below its surface, Archaide housed thousands of classic video arcades, each one a loving re-creation of an actual arcade that had once existed somewhere in the real world.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Oleaga described the arcades as “a Walmart of family entertainment.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Games stocked with luxe toys and more are taking over arcades, and operators actually want customers to grab the goods—at least once or twice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Plus, claw arcades bring life back to malls and the FTC says dynamic pricing requires disclosure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Reductions to tax relief for vape shops and gambling arcades will help to pay for the £100 million a year cost of the measure.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

He wasn’t wearing a turban, but the Mr. Lemoncello mannequin reminded Kyle of the Zoltar Speaks fortune-teller booths he’d seen in video game arcades.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

There she attended the Secondary School of Design and Photography, housed in an arcaded Renaissance monastery.

From New York Times ● Jul. 18, 2016

The chapel was very small with a domed, red-tiled roof and round arcaded windows.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2014

From arcaded passageways, the museums open onto a domed chapel and a peaceful courtyard with the new Charité Café and a general bookstore.

From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2013

There are two streets which are arcaded, where activities are limited, eg preventing the playing of radios or busking.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 17, 2012

Colleges in Britain, as early as the 1200s, were in their general equipment much like monastic establishments, grouped about an arcaded cloister, and were halls of residence for communities of teachers and students.

From Virginia Architecture in the Seventeenth Century by Henry Chandlee Forman

A plain stone gallery with blind arcading, which formerly ran round the chevet on a level with the springing of the roof, was replaced by Viollet-le-Duc, with pierced battlemented arcading.

From Rheims and the Battles for its Possession Illustrated Michelin Guides to the Battle-Fields (1914-1918) by Various

The lateral arcades are blind, while the higher central arcading around the door is surmounted with three receding tori resting on crocketed foliate capitals.

From Rheims and the Battles for its Possession Illustrated Michelin Guides to the Battle-Fields (1914-1918) by Various

On one side of the lunette is a panel representing the Virgin kneeling beneath the open arcading of a temple, and on the opposite side a similar panel containing the Archangel Gabriel.

From Great Masters in Painting: Perugino by George C. Williamson

Above both lower lights in this window is a renaissance arcading.

From Highways and Byways in Cambridge and Ely by Edward Conybeare

The arcading above the windows of the south aisle, with its banded Early English shafts, is another beautiful feature here.

From Highways and Byways in Cambridge and Ely by Edward Conybeare

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Related Words

• gallery
• mall
• walkway

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