piazza

American  

[pee-az-uh, -ah-zuh, pee-at-suh, -aht-, pyaht-tsah] / piˈæz ə, -ˈɑ zə, piˈæt sə, -ˈɑt-, ˈpyɑt tsɑ /

noun

plural

piazzas,

plural

piazze

1. an open square or public place in a city or town, especially in Italy.

2. Chiefly New England and Inland South. a large porch on a house; veranda.

3. Chiefly British. an arcade or covered walk or gallery, as around a public square or in front of a building.

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piazza British  

/ ˈpjattsa, pɪˈætsə, -ˈædzə /

noun

1. a large open square in an Italian town

2. a covered passageway or gallery

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piazza Cultural  

1. An open square, especially in a city or town in Italy.

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Other Word Forms

• piazzaed
  adjective
• piazzian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of piazza

1575–85; < Italian < Latin platēa courtyard, originally, street < Greek plateîa, noun use of feminine of platýs flat ¹. See place

Explanation

Most cities and large towns have a central outdoor gathering place or town square — in Italy, this is called a piazza. Some piazzas have benches, statues, and fountains. The most famous piazza in the world is probably the Piazza San Marco in Venice, but there are several piazzas in almost every Italian city, and the word is commonly used in Ethiopia as well. London's first public square, Covent Garden, was modeled after Italian piazzas. In the U.S., it's more common for this word to mean "porch lined with columns," instead of "town square," and for unknown reasons, this usage is especially common in the Boston area.

Example Sentences

Chair Samuel Di Piazza said in a statement.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

The Fox ownership deprived us of Mike Piazza, and the voters deprived us of Maury Wills, but the answer remains zero.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

But three trees have fallen since the start of the year in the area between Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum, which is often bustling with crowds of tourists.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

"Our amended agreement with Netflix is a testament to the board's unrelenting focus on representing and advancing our stockholders' interests," said Samuel Di Piazza, Jr, chair of the Warner Bros Discovery board of directors.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

The person dipped and circled like a bat in a square behind the Piazza San Marco.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García