terrace
Americannoun
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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.
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the top of such a construction, used as a platform, garden, road, etc.
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a nearly level strip of land with a more or less abrupt descent along the margin of the sea, a lake, or a river.
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the flat roof of a house.
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an open, often paved area connected to a house or an apartment house and serving as an outdoor living area; deck.
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an open platform, as projecting from the outside wall of an apartment; a large balcony.
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a row of houses on or near the top of a slope.
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a residential street following the top of a slope.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a horizontal flat area of ground, often one of a series in a slope
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a row of houses, usually identical and having common dividing walls, or the street onto which they face
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( cap when part of a street name )
Grosvenor Terrace
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a paved area alongside a building, serving partly as a garden
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a balcony or patio
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the flat roof of a house built in a Spanish or Oriental style
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a flat area bounded by a short steep slope formed by the down-cutting of a river or by erosion
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(usually plural)
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unroofed tiers around a football pitch on which the spectators stand
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the spectators themselves
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verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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terracesimple
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terracessimple
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have terracedperfect
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has terracedperfect
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am terracingprogressive
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are terracingprogressive
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is terracingprogressive
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have been terracingperfect progressive
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has been terracingperfect progressive
Past
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terracedsimple
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had terracedperfect
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was terracingprogressive
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were terracingprogressive
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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
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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 grounds also include a heated pool and expansive terrace, which was built for entertaining.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Even ongoing matches fail to stop them gathering on a nearby terrace to eye up what treats await below.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Firefighters reached the terrace via a neighbouring building and breached a side wall to begin rescue efforts.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
As the exhibition text explains, “In ancient Egypt, the terrace before the temple functioned as an open meeting place between the deity and larger crowds.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
If I'd known, I wouldn't even have sat on the terrace.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
"The shops, restaurants and cafes are fairly empty... Interestingly on Sunday when there was still smoke, there were people brave enough to sit outside on terraces."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The sprawling compound comes with a detached three-bedroom guesthouse, an office with an apartment above the garage, and expansive terraces.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Bar terraces are buzzing with activity into late evenings again as people try to soak in every bit of sun after the long winter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Despite the situation, daily life appeared largely normal: some people were swimming, others shopping at the market or sitting at cafe terraces.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Presently they came out into the garden-court which sloped downhill in a number of terraces.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
One side of the terraced row of houses on Llewellyn Street was demolished and replaced by the motorway, leaving the remaining side staring at either a huge concrete embankment or pillars propping up the M4.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Nelson said the couple had just rewatched the series before seeing the three bedroom terraced house had been listed for sale online earlier this year.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
“The gated, private parcel offers dramatic panoramic city views and sweeping vistas, with multiple usable tiers featuring generous flat pads, terraced gardens, and a dedicated pool level,” the description notes.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
Don’t Miss: Naumkeag, a Gilded Age estate in Stockbridge, where you’ll find terraced gardens and sculptural hedges—ideal fodder for a reset after time spent with screaming tweens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Theseus took her aboard with him from Krete for the terraced land of ancient Athens; but he had no joy of her.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
A different report discussed terracing the river upstream from that spot — changing the sloped shape of the sides into steps, “and in those steps, you might insert areas for landscaping to grow,” Weintraub said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2024
If you look through the history books, it is 30 years since Norwich won at Anfield - in the last game played in front of the Kop when it was still terracing.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2024
A unique feature of their farming was a method of terracing the hillsides on the southern slopes of the large sandstone plateau to prevent soil erosion.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
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
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.
