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

I visited museums, played arcade games at Santa Monica Pier and walked Venice Beach at sunset.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

And that’s when the idea for “Pinball Wizard” came to the songwriter, who used to play pinball at the local arcade with Cohn and The Who’s producer Kit Lambert.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

On a recent Tuesday at the Gatcha arcade in Manhattan’s Koreatown, Yokerathinam pointed out a machine stocked with Pikachu plushies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Gilligan, a judge on popular ITV series The Masked Singer, recalled spending days on the beach and riding the log flume at the fun park as well playing the penny arcade machines.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

“When all that money disappeared at the arcade, Adam turned out to be the thief. This is just like that time.”

From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon

As inflation weighs on Japanese households, huge arcades on the outskirts of major cities are installing claw machines filled with eggs, rice, laundry detergent and other necessities.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 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

The air on the way to Madame Ruelles bakery smells of myrtle and magnolia and verbena; wisteria vines erupt in blossom; everywhere hang arcades and curtains and pendants of flowers.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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

From New York Times ● Jan. 22, 2018

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

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

It stands, welcoming the stranger, at the very gateway of the city, its grand axe extending off, in arcaded perspective, over four hundred and twenty feet, with room inside for thirty thousand souls.

From The Cathedrals of Southern France by M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield

Above the side portals, the surface of which was decorated with arcading, were gables lighted by rose-windows.

From Ypres and the Battles of Ypres by Unknown

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 A. B. Clifton

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

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

Some of the arcading, notably that in the three easterly bays of the south aisle, is unrestored.

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

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Related Words

• gallery
• mall
• walkway

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