terrace
Americannoun
-
terraces
plural
-
a raised level with a vertical or sloping front or sides faced with masonry, turf, or the like, especially one of a series of levels rising one above another.
-
the top of such a construction, used as a platform, garden, road, etc.
-
a nearly level strip of land with a more or less abrupt descent along the margin of the sea, a lake, or a river.
-
the flat roof of a house.
-
an open, often paved area connected to a house or an apartment house and serving as an outdoor living area; deck.
-
an open platform, as projecting from the outside wall of an apartment; a large balcony.
-
a row of houses on or near the top of a slope.
-
a residential street following the top of a slope.
verb (used with or without object)
-
terraces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
terraced,
past participle, past
-
terracing
present participle
noun
-
a horizontal flat area of ground, often one of a series in a slope
-
-
a row of houses, usually identical and having common dividing walls, or the street onto which they face
-
( cap when part of a street name )
Grosvenor Terrace
-
-
a paved area alongside a building, serving partly as a garden
-
a balcony or patio
-
the flat roof of a house built in a Spanish or Oriental style
-
a flat area bounded by a short steep slope formed by the down-cutting of a river or by erosion
-
(usually plural)
-
unroofed tiers around a football pitch on which the spectators stand
-
the spectators themselves
-
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
terracesimple
-
terracessimple
-
have terracedperfect
-
has terracedperfect
-
am terracingprogressive
-
are terracingprogressive
-
is terracingprogressive
-
have been terracingperfect progressive
-
has been terracingperfect progressive
Past
-
terracedsimple
-
had terracedperfect
-
was terracingprogressive
-
were terracingprogressive
-
had been terracingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of terrace
1505–15; earlier terrasse < Middle French < Old Provençal terrassa < Vulgar Latin *terrācea, feminine of *terrāceus. See terra, -aceous
Explanation
A terrace is a paved or brick outdoor area right next to a house or apartment. You might have a nice dinner out on your terrace, enjoying the sunset. Terrace and patio are synonyms. Another meaning for terrace is "a block of row houses that are connected by shared walls and are built in a similar style." Terrace also refers to flat areas on a hillside where people farm or have built houses. That land has been terraced, meaning "made into shelves."
Vocabulary lists containing terrace
Learning Down The House: Parts of Your Home
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Elements of the Universe: Terr, Terra ("Earth")
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
South America - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Barbican's distinctive brutalist foyers and lakeside terrace will also be developed to protect the heritage of the building.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Some seating would be seasonal on an awning-covered rooftop terrace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
I step off the restaurant’s orderly little terrace and make a slow serpentine path past makeshift dinner parties.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
The residence also boasts a 1,600-square-foot private terrace, which is one of the largest outdoor areas in the building.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
While she fastened it to his collar, I took off through the woods, planning to get to the terrace before she did.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
For generations, summer in Europe has been languid and dreamy, bringing fine weather and lengthy days on sunny beaches and terraces.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The parcel features “expansive terraces, sprawling gardens, several guest houses, a tennis court and its own nine-hole golf course,” according to the Journal.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Cecil Wright & Partners, a luxury yacht broker, filed the legal action in London’s High Court over Storonsky’s acquisition of Nixie, a 102-meter vessel with four terraces and an Indian teak deck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Roberto de Zerbi, the manager who saved Spurs from relegation last season, was raised on the terraces of Brescia's 'curva' by his father, Alfredo, who was president of the supporters' clubs.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Despite constant maintenance, erosion silted up reservoirs, hurricanes destroyed terraces, and weeds and sediment choked irrigation networks.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
As we climbed the terraced pools of the West Kill, I concentrated on keeping my cast short and precise until I caught my first brook trout, or “brookie.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
From the outside it looks like an ordinary house on a terraced street - but behind lies a tropical jungle complete with some poisonous plants.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The once thriving village included a chapel, a church, a shop, a pub, a school, a library, a post office and terraced houses.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Filled with eccentric decorative touches that mirrored Simmons’ vibrant public persona, the property features everything from staircase cherubs and boldly patterned wallpaper to curved French doors, terraced gardens, and a key-shaped swimming pool.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
The north wall of the Library was made entirely of glass, with doors leading to a terraced greenhouse that refracted light like a prism.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Much of the railroad-tie terracing had been damaged as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2024
The official capacity was just more than 31,000, although three-quarters of the ground was terracing.
From BBC ● May 23, 2024
In 2011, they began a fresh exploration of the city’s northeastern edge, a kind of premature suburban sprawl originally dedicated to agricultural terracing that had been converted for funerary and artisanal purposes.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2023
The upper-tier will become outdoor terracing for new homes.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 5, 2022
Given Cahokia’s engineering expertise, though, solutions were within reach: terracing hillsides, diking rivers, even moving Cahokia.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
