plaza

American  

[plah-zuh, plaz-uh] / ˈplɑ zə, ˈplæz ə /

noun

• plazas
  plural

1. a public square or open space in a city or town.

2. shopping plaza.

3. an area along an expressway where public facilities, as service stations and restrooms, are available.

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plaza British  

/ ˈplaθa, ˈplɑːzə /

noun

1. an open space or square, esp in Spain or a Spanish-speaking country

2. 1. a modern complex of shops, buildings, and parking areas

   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      Rockefeller Plaza

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• plazas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of plaza

First recorded in 1675–85; from Spanish, from Latin platea “street,” from Greek plateîa “broad street”; see place

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Explanation

A plaza is an urban park or square, or another public space where people can walk, sit, and congregate. You might, for example, tell your friend to meet you in the plaza downtown with the big horse statue. There are plazas that are mainly open spaces for pedestrians, sometimes including statues, fountains, and benches, like Washington DC's Freedom Plaza or Union Square in New York. Other plazas are more commercial, offering room to stroll and sit but also stores and restaurants. In Spanish, plaza simply means "place," and the earliest plazas were built in Spanish colonies in South America and the East Indies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plaza plazas

If this plaza, and this museum, are truly meant to serve the public it should be clear that all are welcome once they arrive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

In Aberdeen, the building that used to house BHS - a department store shuttered in 2016 - is being converted into an entrance plaza for the new food and drink market.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Konca has ties to a medical office at the same plaza, the records show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

From the vendor selling paletas in the plaza to guests at a five-star hotel, she is instantly recognized and surrounded by people seeking selfies and hugs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Its ceremonial center, which may date to 900 B.C., was built around a Norte Chico-style sunken plaza.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

The plan includes 25 acres of publicly accessible open space that supports uses such as parks, plazas, walking and biking trails, recreation centers and picnic areas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

The local government announced on social media that the site was "full" and suggested fans go to other plazas.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

Now, families and fitness buffs fill up well-lit public plazas at night.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

All is organized rather classically, with human-scaled plazas and passages punctuated by quirky campaniles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025

Fadi gazed out the window at the tall walls that lined either side of the freeway, sheltering buildings, shopping plazas, and parks on the other side.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

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Related Words

• park
• square

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