terrace

American  

[ter-uhs] / ˈtɛr əs /

noun

1. 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.

2. the top of such a construction, used as a platform, garden, road, etc.

3. a nearly level strip of land with a more or less abrupt descent along the margin of the sea, a lake, or a river.

4. the flat roof of a house.

5. an open, often paved area connected to a house or an apartment house and serving as an outdoor living area; deck.

6. an open platform, as projecting from the outside wall of an apartment; a large balcony.

7. a row of houses on or near the top of a slope.

8. a residential street following the top of a slope.

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verb (used with or without object)

terraced, terracing

1. to form into or furnish with a terrace or terraces.

terrace British  

/ ˈtɛrəs /

noun

1. a horizontal flat area of ground, often one of a series in a slope

2. 1. a row of houses, usually identical and having common dividing walls, or the street onto which they face

   2. ( cap when part of a street name )

      Grosvenor Terrace

3. a paved area alongside a building, serving partly as a garden

4. a balcony or patio

5. the flat roof of a house built in a Spanish or Oriental style

6. a flat area bounded by a short steep slope formed by the down-cutting of a river or by erosion

7. (usually plural)

   1. unroofed tiers around a football pitch on which the spectators stand

   2. the spectators themselves

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verb

1. (tr) to make into or provide with a terrace or terraces

Other Word Forms

• terraceless adjective
• unterraced adjective

Etymology

Origin of terrace

1505–15; earlier terrasse < Middle French < Old Provençal terrassa < Vulgar Latin *terrācea, feminine of *terrāceus. See terra, -aceous

Example Sentences

The home comes complete with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, an en suite, a large living area, a terrace, and a swimming pool.

From MarketWatch

The spread features eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, plus a media room, four outdoor swimming pools, patios and terraces, and a 15-car garage.

From MarketWatch

The land that eventually supported Karnak formed when Nile river channels carved paths on both the western and eastern sides of a natural terrace.

From Science Daily

We live in a spacious, modern penthouse apartment with a large terrace that overlooks a river and has beautiful views of the distant mountains.

From MarketWatch

Le Constellation, located on the ground floor of a residential building, has a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.

From Barron's

Related Words

• balcony
• deck
• gallery
• patio
• platform
• porch
• promenade
• roof