balcony

American  

[bal-kuh-nee] / ˈbæl kə ni /

noun

plural

balconies

1. a balustraded or railed elevated platform projecting from the wall of a building.

2. a gallery in a theater.

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balcony British  

/ ˈbælkənɪ /

noun

1. a platform projecting from the wall of a building with a balustrade or railing along its outer edge, often with access from a door or window

2. a gallery in a theatre or auditorium, above the dress circle

3. any circle or gallery in a theatre or auditorium including the dress circle

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Other Word Forms

• balconied adjective
• unbalconied adjective

Etymology

Origin of balcony

1610–20; < Italian balcone balcony, floor-length window < Langobardic (compare Old High German balc ( h ) o, accusative singular balcon beam; balk ); sense extended from the beam over an aperture to the aperture itself

Compare meaning

How does balcony compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• veranda vs. balcony
• mezzanine vs. balcony

Example Sentences

Alfie is a pet tortoise who lives on Mrs. Silver’s balcony.

From The Wall Street Journal

My family lived in a Midcentury-Modern home with a front balcony on stilts and a large backyard.

From The Wall Street Journal

Imagine if, in “Evita,” audiences members were invited to sing back up on the balcony as Eva Perón belts out “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” accompanying her in her last manipulative hurrah.

From Los Angeles Times

That December, he and his wife flew to the French Caribbean, where their hotel room had a balcony overlooking the sea.

From The Wall Street Journal

Andrew may not have been on the Buckingham Palace balcony for a while.

From BBC

Related Words

• box
• gallery
• mezzanine
• platform
• porch
• stoop
• terrace
• veranda