plaza

[ plah-zuh, plaz-uh ]

/ ˈplɑ zə, ˈplæz ə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plaza ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

shopping plaza.

an area along an expressway where public facilities, as service stations and rest rooms, are available.

RELATED WORDS

square, park, court, green, common

Nearby words

plaything, playtime, playwear, playwright, playwriting, plaza, plaza de toros, plaza lasso, plaza lasso, galo, plc, plea

Origin of plaza

1675–85; < Spanish < Latin platea street < Greek plateîa broad street. See place

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plaza

In her struggle to find her daughter, Esther becomes one of the founders of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF|Jason Berry|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Plaza Hotel cooked a fancy-pants latke with red wine braised oxtail, horseradish sunchoke cream, and crispy kale.
I Ate Potato Pancakes Til I Plotzed|Emily Shire|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A crate of the stuff arrived at the studio, compliments of the Plaza Athénée.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When they do dine, the Hitchcocks sometimes use Limoges china marked “Plaza Athénée.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One observer recalled them hitting the ground “like melons,” as the music piped into the plaza played “How Deep Is Your Love?”
The Resilient City: New York After 9/11|John Avlon|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By nine o'clock I had cleaned up my side of the town, and returned to the plaza.
Captain Macklin|Richard Harding Davis
To "Fifth Avenue" is owed the following description of the neighbourhood of the present Plaza in the middle of the last century.
Fifth Avenue|Arthur Bartlett Maurice
When with slow and pondering action she hung up the receiver it occurred to her that she resented the idea of going to the Plaza.
The Call of the Canyon|Zane Grey
The sun was already high, and the plaza had become a furnace.
Carmen Ariza|Charles Francis Stocking
The Plaza was full of people, women talking under the stiff palms, and men sitting on wicker chairs on the hotel piazza opposite.
The Belted Seas|Arthur Colton

British Dictionary definitions for plaza

plaza

/ (ˈplɑːzə, Spanish ˈplaθa) /

noun

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

mainly US and Canadian

a modern complex of shops, buildings, and parking areas
(capital when part of a name)Rockefeller Plaza

Word Origin for plaza

C17: from Spanish, from Latin platēa courtyard, from Greek plateia; see place

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for plaza

plaza

1830, from Spanish plaza "square, place," from Vulgar Latin *plattia, from Latin platea "courtyard, broad street" (see place (n.)).