palace
Americannoun
-
the official residence of a king, queen, bishop, or other sovereign or exalted personage.
-
a large and stately mansion or building.
-
a large and usually ornate place for entertainment, exhibitions, etc.
noun
-
the official residence of a reigning monarch or member of a royal family
Buckingham Palace
-
the official residence of various high-ranking church dignitaries or members of the nobility, as of an archbishop
-
a large and richly furnished building resembling a royal palace
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of palace
1200–50; Middle English < Medieval Latin palācium, spelling variant of palātium, Latin: generic use of Palātium name of the hill in Rome on which the emperor's palace was situated; replacing Middle English paleis < Old French ≪ Latin Palātium
Explanation
A palace is a beautiful, large house where someone important, like a king, lives. Have you ever seen Buckingham Palace? That's where the Queen of England lives, and it's an enormous, ornate, heavily guarded building, which is typical of palaces. Palaces are lavish and over-the-top, because they are usually the home of a ruler such as a king, queen, or dictator. If you don’t live like a king, take comfort in this quote from the English poet John Donne: “Be thine own palace, or the world’s thy jail.”
Vocabulary lists containing palace
"Return to Titanic" and "Talking with Robert Ballard"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 13
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for June 4–June 10, 2022
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Add in a few $15 glasses of house wine in plastic cups and two $36 High Roller tickets, and this package at the neon pink gambling palace Bugsy Siegel built is the real deal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
The Louvre said "The proposal establishes an elegant link between the city, the palace, and the museum."
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
For crucial scenes portraying the palace hallway in Egypt, where Moses talks to the Pharaoh, they built cardboard boxes as the columns in the palace, and “reskinned” them with intricate carvings using AI.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
But clearly, not every museum, palace or seaside pier can just throw open the doors for nothing.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
When war was declared, the kaiser addressed the enormous crowd that had gathered beneath his palace balcony.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
