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• hall
  hall

  noun

  a corridor or passageway in a building.
• Hall
  Hall

  noun

  Asaph 1829–1907, U.S. astronomer: discovered the satellites of Mars.

hall

¹ American  

[hawl] / hɔl /

noun

1. a corridor or passageway in a building.

2. the large entrance room of a house or building; vestibule; lobby.

3. a large room or building for public gatherings; auditorium.

   convention hall; concert hall.

4. a large building for residence, instruction, or other purposes, at a college or university.

5. a college at a university.

6. (in English colleges)

   1. a large room in which the members and students dine.

   2. dinner in such a room.

7. British. a mansion or large residence, especially one on a large estate.

8. British Informal. music hall.

9. the chief room in a medieval castle or similar structure, used for eating, sleeping, and entertaining.

10. the castle, house, or similar structure of a medieval chieftain or noble.

11. Southeastern U.S.: Older Use. the living room or family room of a house.

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Hall ² American  

[hawl] / hɔl /

noun

1. Asaph 1829–1907, U.S. astronomer: discovered the satellites of Mars.

2. Charles Francis, 1821–71, U.S. Arctic explorer.

3. Charles Martin, 1863–1914, U.S. chemist, metallurgist, and manufacturer.

4. Donald, 1928–2018, U.S. poet and editor.

5. Granville Stanley, 1846–1924, U.S. psychologist and educator.

6. James Norman, 1887–1951, U.S. novelist.

7. (Marguerite) Radclyffe 1880–1943, English writer.

8. Prince, 1748?–1807, U.S. clergyman and abolitionist, born in Barbados: may have fought at Bunker Hill.

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hall ¹ British  

/ hɔːl /

noun

1. a room serving as an entry area within a house or building

2. (sometimes capital) a building for public meetings

3. (often capital) the great house of an estate; manor

4. a large building or room used for assemblies, worship, concerts, dances, etc

5. a residential building, esp in a university; hall of residence

6. 1. a large room, esp for dining, in a college or university

   2. a meal eaten in this room

7. the large room of a house, castle, etc

8. a passage or corridor into which rooms open

9. informal (often plural) short for music hall

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Hall ² British  

/ hɔːl /

noun

1. Charles Martin. 1863–1914, US chemist: discovered the electrolytic process for producing aluminium

2. Sir John. 1824–1907, New Zealand statesman, born in England: prime minister of New Zealand (1879–82)

3. Sir Peter. born 1930, English stage director: director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (1960–73) and of the National Theatre (1973–88)

4. ( 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

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Other Word Forms

• subhall noun

Etymology

Origin of hall

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)

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

Sporting what they regard as a face “the color of boiled turnips,” he is first discovered sitting on a steamer trunk in the hall, ripe to be menaced by the family’s dogs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

The local authority, which owns the building, turned down the co-op's application to turn the former market hall into an asset of community value.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Crew members are packed into the entry hall as preparations are made to shoot the big scene inside one of the grand rooms.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

Rainbow Corner has been based in the same Orange hall since 1979, but has been told by its landlord it needs to leave by the end of June 2027.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

One morning, Iwas in the hall near the classroom door when I overheard her telling one of the parents that Jessica and her family had been living in town for a week or two already.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Related Words

• amphitheater
• arena
• auditorium
• ballroom
• chamber
• church
• gallery
• gym
• gymnasium
• lounge
• theater