promenade

American  

[prom-uh-neyd, -nahd] / ˌprɒm əˈneɪd, -ˈnɑd /

noun

1. a stroll or walk, especially in a public place, as for pleasure or display.

2. an area used for such walking.

3. a march of guests into a ballroom constituting the opening of a formal ball.

4. a march of dancers in square dancing.

5. a formal dance; prom.

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verb (used without object)

promenaded, promenading

1. to go for or take part in a promenade.

2. to execute a promenade in square dancing.

verb (used with object)

promenaded, promenading

1. to take a promenade through or about.

2. to conduct or display in or as if in a promenade; parade.

   They promenaded their prisoner before the townspeople.

promenade British  

/ ˌprɒməˈnɑːd /

noun

1. a public walk, esp at a seaside resort

2. a leisurely walk, esp one in a public place for pleasure or display

3. a ball or formal dance at a high school or college

4. a marchlike step in dancing

5. a marching sequence in a square or country dance

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verb

1. to take a promenade in or through (a place)

2. (intr) dancing to perform a promenade

3. (tr) to display or exhibit (someone or oneself) on or as if on a promenade

Other Word Forms

• promenader
  noun

Etymology

Origin of promenade

1560–70; < French, derivative of promener to lead out, take for a walk or airing < Latin promināre to drive (beasts) forward ( prō- pro- ¹ + mināre to drive); see -ade ¹

Explanation

Promenade is a fancy word for going out walking. If you like to stroll through town in a leisurely way, then you like to take promenades. Besides meaning the nice walk you just took, the noun promenade can also mean a special walking place for pedestrians, like a boardwalk. You can also use it as a verb, and go promenading. In Square Dance, promenade is a move where the couples walk around in a circle, and you might be familiar with the promenade at your high school — or did you just call it "Prom"?

Example Sentences

“I go up to the Pixar Pier promenade stage, and I just go up to it and touch it. ... The beautiful thing about Disney is these creations are usually around for a lifetime.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

In 2016, following a $116,000 cleanup effort that required shutting down lanes of the pedestrian promenade, the city’s Transportation Department instituted a $100 fine for attaching items.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

With a slide showing dozens of shiny terraced apartment towers overlooking a tree-lined promenade, he promised a Mediterranean utopia rising from the scarred Gaza landscape.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

In the 1860s, the commissioners of New York’s Central Park chose to place a picturesque fountain at the end of the long promenade known as the Mall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Along the promenade, strings of boiled-fruit lights lit up.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Related Words

• boardwalk
• deck
• mall