esplanade
Americannoun
noun
-
a long open level stretch of ground for walking along, esp beside the seashore Compare promenade
-
an open area in front of a fortified place, in which attackers are exposed to the defenders' fire
Etymology
Origin of esplanade
1675–85; < French < Italian spianata, noun use of feminine past participle of spianare < Latin explānāre to level; -ade 1
Explanation
An esplanade is an area that's meant to be walked on, especially beside the ocean or another body of water. An esplanade makes it possible to stroll beside the water without walking on the beach. You can also call an esplanade a promenade. These flat, open areas are intended to be walked along, and they're sometimes also used for skating or biking. The original esplanades were similarly level, open stretches outside of fortresses that provided soldiers with wide visibility for shooting. In the U.S., another meaning of esplanade is a median strip beside or in the middle of a road. The word comes from the Spanish esplanada, "large, level area."
Vocabulary lists containing esplanade
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Whenever I return to Batumi, which I’ve done five times, I always do three things: I stroll along the palm-fringed seaside esplanade, admiring the gardens first landscaped in 1881.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025
Amanda Kay, who was staying in the hotel on the main esplanade in Cairns, described seeing a helicopter flying "extra low", without lights in rainy weather.
From BBC • Aug. 11, 2024
People crossing the bridge can catch cycling and triathlon events, or look down to watch swimming events in the Seine River, before walking over toward a grassy esplanade which leads to Les Invalides.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 3, 2024
The esplanade will be refurbished; visitors will no longer have to line up for tickets outside; and the permanent collections will be rearranged and rehung.
From New York Times • Oct. 3, 2023
Nico and he were wandering along the esplanade when Jason spotted the guy with wings buying an ice cream bar from a street cart.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
