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

See Examples For:

arcade arcades arcaded arcading

In another lawsuit, he claimed an arcade rigged its claw machines against players, alleging it functioned as “a casino for children.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Grown-ups want to party in the arcade too.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

Beyond the arcade, visitors can enjoy mini golf, karaoke, themed events and monthly performances like Queer Circus.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

This space also appears to have been used as a game room, with an arcade machine nestled in a small alcove.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

I draw it like it’s an arcade game, surrounded by Skee-Ball and claw machines.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

The rest is “walk-in retail,” which includes bowling, arcades, food and beverage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Some 80 percent of the 22,000 arcades Japan had in 1989 have shut down, but revenues have held up thanks to claw machines, according to the Japan Amusement Industry Association.

From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025

And while a modern Chuck E. Cheese is school-cafeteria bright, Chuck’s Arcade is dark, its black walls and low lighting recalling the arcades of the ’80s and ’90s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025

Not churches, not schools — Chuck E. Cheese-style pizza arcades, where the air smells like old fryer oil and fresh anticipation, and an animatronic animal band plays on, unfazed by the passing decades.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2025

That week they’d played ridderspel and spijker at the arcades on the Lid.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Scenes of piazzas, arcaded streets and markets float through this podcast with Kathy McCabe, the host of the PBS “Dream of Italy” series.

From New York Times ● Apr. 9, 2020

Installed in the winter-bare garden of an ancient arcaded courtyard were vertical braziers holding firewood.

From New York Times ● Jan. 22, 2018

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

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2014

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

Fount, lamps, divans, arcaded glass, A traveller's paradise!

From A Century of Emblems by Cautley, G. S.

Between its two towers, this gabled fa�ade, the recesses and blind arcading of which form almost its sole decoration, is in strong contrast with the principal fa�ade of the Cathedral.

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

In the first three western bays in both aisles the large arcading, with its plain trefoiled arches, is clearly Early English.

From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lichfield A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Espicopal See by Clifton, A. B.

Of the original organ the loft only remains, the Gothic balustrading of which is pierced with Flamboyant arcading.

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

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 Conybeare, Edward

The two flanking parts of the fa�ade, one of which appears in the illustration, have each three tiers of arcading.

From Cathedral Cities of Italy by Collins, William Wiehe

Related Words

• gallery
• mall
• walkway