hall

¹ American  

[hawl] / hɔl /

noun

1. a corridor or passageway in a building.

2. the large entrance room of a house or building; vestibule; lobby.

3. a large room or building for public gatherings; auditorium.

   convention hall; concert hall.

4. a large building for residence, instruction, or other purposes, at a college or university.

5. a college at a university.

6. (in English colleges)

   1. a large room in which the members and students dine.

   2. dinner in such a room.

7. British. a mansion or large residence, especially one on a large estate.

8. British Informal. music hall.

9. the chief room in a medieval castle or similar structure, used for eating, sleeping, and entertaining.

10. the castle, house, or similar structure of a medieval chieftain or noble.

11. Southeastern U.S.: Older Use. the living room or family room of a house.

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Hall ² American  

[hawl] / hɔl /

noun

1. Asaph 1829–1907, U.S. astronomer: discovered the satellites of Mars.

2. Charles Francis, 1821–71, U.S. Arctic explorer.

3. Charles Martin, 1863–1914, U.S. chemist, metallurgist, and manufacturer.

4. Donald, 1928–2018, U.S. poet and editor.

5. Granville Stanley, 1846–1924, U.S. psychologist and educator.

6. James Norman, 1887–1951, U.S. novelist.

7. (Marguerite) Radclyffe 1880–1943, English writer.

8. Prince, 1748?–1807, U.S. clergyman and abolitionist, born in Barbados: may have fought at Bunker Hill.

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hall ¹ British  

/ hɔːl /

noun

1. a room serving as an entry area within a house or building

2. (sometimes capital) a building for public meetings

3. (often capital) the great house of an estate; manor

4. a large building or room used for assemblies, worship, concerts, dances, etc

5. a residential building, esp in a university; hall of residence

6. 1. a large room, esp for dining, in a college or university

   2. a meal eaten in this room

7. the large room of a house, castle, etc

8. a passage or corridor into which rooms open

9. informal (often plural) short for music hall

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Hall ² British  

/ hɔːl /

noun

1. Charles Martin. 1863–1914, US chemist: discovered the electrolytic process for producing aluminium

2. Sir John. 1824–1907, New Zealand statesman, born in England: prime minister of New Zealand (1879–82)

3. Sir Peter. born 1930, English stage director: director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (1960–73) and of the National Theatre (1973–88)

4. ( Margueritte ) Radclyffe . 1883–1943, British novelist and poet. Her frank treatment of a lesbian theme in the novel The Well of Loneliness (1928) led to an obscenity trial

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Other Word Forms

• subhall noun

Etymology

Origin of hall

before 900; Middle English; Old English heall; cognate with Old Norse hǫll, German Halle; akin to Old English helan to cover, hide, Latin cēlāre to hide ( conceal )

Example Sentences

We see her in a hall filled with 1,500 men representing all 300 local village councils.

From BBC

Barcelona town hall is due to mediate the conflict with affected residents, who oppose the plans in a city suffering a housing crisis.

From Barron's

The idea for the character emerged when Beano's editor heard a musical hall song with the chorus "I'm Dennis the Menace from Venice" and ordered a character to fit the name.

From BBC

They entered a hall where they met about two dozen people, as well as personnel from the Egyptian Red Crescent, who distributed water and gift bags.

From Los Angeles Times

At the front desk, I was greeted by a host who accompanied me down the hall and into a glowing cerulean room.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amphitheater
• arena
• auditorium
• ballroom
• chamber
• church
• gallery
• gym
• gymnasium
• lounge
• theater