plaza

American  

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

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of plaza

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

Example Sentences

“I always refer to our plaza as the living room for Los Angeles,” Govan said.

From Los Angeles Times

Altadena has never organized itself around a traditional civic center, like a city hall plaza or downtown square.

From Los Angeles Times

But when the Platform, an open-air plaza on Washington Boulevard, opened during the spring of 2016, it offered residents and visitors an alternative shopping experience with a hipster bent.

From Los Angeles Times

"My brother called our parents from inside the plaza asking them to save him. He also called his friends and appealed to them, but no one could save him," he said.

From BBC

“I wouldn’t call it historic,” he said on a recent Sunday, while parked at a Baltimore shopping plaza.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• park
• square