concourse

American  

[kon-kawrs, -kohrs, kong-] / ˈkɒn kɔrs, -koʊrs, ˈkɒŋ- /

noun

concourses plural

1. an assemblage; gathering.

   a concourse of people.

2. a driveway or promenade, especially in a park.

3. a boulevard or other broad thoroughfare.

4. a large open space for accommodating crowds, as in a railroad station.

5. an area or grounds for racing, athletic sports, etc.

6. an act or instance of running or coming together; confluence.

   a concourse of events.

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concourse British  

/ ˈkɒŋ-, ˈkɒnkɔːs /

noun

1. a crowd; throng

2. a coming together; confluence

   a concourse of events

3. a large open space for the gathering of people in a public place

4. a ground for sports, racing, athletics, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• concourses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of concourse

1350–1400; Middle English concours < Middle French; replacing Middle English concurs < Latin concursus assembly, verbal noun corresponding to concurrere to assemble, collide. See concur, course

Explanation

The wide, open area that's either inside or in front of a building is called a concourse. A concourse is often located where many paths or hallways meet. Many kinds of buildings have a concourse, including train stations, airports, hotels, and shopping malls. Concourses are large enough for many people to congregate there — and this crowd or gathering of people can also be called a concourse. A movie star visiting a small city might find himself surrounded by a huge concourse of fans asking for autographs. The Latin root is concursus, "a running together," and the word's original sense was "the flowing of a crowd of people."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

concourse concourses

Reportedly, doors will open for guests at 3:30 p.m. for a cocktail reception at 4 p.m. on the sixth-floor concourse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Argentina fans shook the concourse of AT&T Stadium and were still at it, bouncing up and down, an hour later.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Were they having a gargle on the concourse as Achraf Hakimi - right-back one minute, left winger the next - was making us wonder how many of him were actually out there?

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

Videogaming is the main attraction at the much bigger Portal lounge in Minneapolis, which opened over Memorial Day weekend in the D concourse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

He walked back to the concourse to see what was going on.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

The approximately 70,000 spectators, many already in ponchos and rain coats, filed out and, in little more than 15 minutes, the concourses of "the Linc" resembled a huge train station on a holiday travel day.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Fans who had already arrived at Inter&Co Stadium were told to evacuate from the stands and retreat to a safe position on the concourses to avoid lightning strikes.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

With its more expansive layout, open entrances, and large concourses, it can pose particular problems by forcing players to adjust on the fly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2026

They had to demolish one of the Long Island Rail Road’s concourses in the process, but JPMorgan agreed to build a new one for the commuter rail system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025

Shoppers walked around us on the concourses, their mouths moving, talking to people who weren’t there.

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• foyer
• lounge