plaza

American  

[plah-zuh, plaz-uh] / ˈplɑ zə, ˈplæz ə /

noun

plazas plural

1. a public square or open space in a city or town.

2. shopping plaza.

3. an area along an expressway where public facilities, as service stations and restrooms, are available.

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plaza British  

/ ˈplaθa, ˈplɑːzə /

noun

1. an open space or square, esp in Spain or a Spanish-speaking country

2. 1. a modern complex of shops, buildings, and parking areas

   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      Rockefeller Plaza

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• plazas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of plaza

First recorded in 1675–85; from Spanish, from Latin platea “street,” from Greek plateîa “broad street”; see place

Explanation

A plaza is an urban park or square, or another public space where people can walk, sit, and congregate. You might, for example, tell your friend to meet you in the plaza downtown with the big horse statue. There are plazas that are mainly open spaces for pedestrians, sometimes including statues, fountains, and benches, like Washington DC's Freedom Plaza or Union Square in New York. Other plazas are more commercial, offering room to stroll and sit but also stores and restaurants. In Spanish, plaza simply means "place," and the earliest plazas were built in Spanish colonies in South America and the East Indies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plaza plazas

But on Wednesday, the day after Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 to secure its fourth consecutive World Cup victory, the fan and his wife, Angélica Arias, walked to the plaza wearing two identical caps.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

The plaza leading to the entrance used by Jewish visitors is clean and orderly and, until recently, included a restaurant called the "Settlers' Cafe".

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

"We're all pretty frustrated because the government is not showing what it should – a serious display of help," she says in a plaza just a block away from two collapsed buildings.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

The plaza where Manzo was slain is now filled with monuments — large photographs and posters featuring his quotes and an altar where people leave flowers, candles and handwritten notes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

You’re back where you started, in the city where you were born, only now you go to work on the forty-seventh floor in a downtown building with a wide plaza and a sculpture out front.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

The walkways will be interspersed with plazas, small parks and exercise stations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

The local government announced on social media that the site was "full" and suggested fans go to other plazas.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

Now, families and fitness buffs fill up well-lit public plazas at night.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

As news of his seizure rippled out, exiled Venezuelans waved flags and celebrated in plazas from Madrid to Santiago.

From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026

What they really have are brains—full and complete with whirling bridges and intersections and plazas and parks.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

Related Words

• park
• square