veranda
Americannoun
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verandas
plural
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Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. Also verandah. a large, open porch, usually roofed and partly enclosed, as by a railing, often extending across the front and sides of a house; gallery.
noun
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a porch or portico, sometimes partly enclosed, along the outside of a building
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a canopy sheltering pedestrians in a shopping street
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of veranda
1705–15; < Hindi baraṇḍā, barāmdā < Persian bar āmadaḥ coming out (unless the Hindi word is < Portuguese varanda, Spanish baranda railing, balustrade; cf. bar 1)
Compare meaning
How does veranda compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If you're lazing around on a long, airy porch that runs along the outside of your house, you are on a veranda. The word veranda likely derived from the Portuguese word varanda, meaning "long balcony or terrace." Extending along the outside of a building, this architectural structure has a roof and usually opens up to the outside. A veranda is a common feature on houses at a beach resort or in other warm climates. They provide shade but still allow you to sit outside and enjoy the scenery. You might have a party on your veranda in the summer.
Vocabulary lists containing veranda
I Am Malala
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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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:
He will not be sitting on his veranda anytime soon.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
Outside, residents can enjoy the warm New Orleans weather while lounging on the covered veranda or soaking in the saltwater pool.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2025
The two-story Wawona Hotel, nearly encircled by a Spanish-style veranda, has 50 standard rooms with private bathrooms and 54 additional rooms with shared restrooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024
The agency published a video in which it showed security officials detaining a man in jeans and a black shirt who was sitting at a veranda outside a restaurant in central Moscow.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
When I reach the back veranda he clears his throat.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Today, it also runs a restaurant and hotel with six guest rooms in the main house and five modern cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows opening to private verandas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
It’s wrapped in verandas and shaded by a gnarly 300-year-old pine tree.
From New York Times ● Sep. 25, 2022
At the presidential palace, guards have continued their patrols but haven’t intervened as farmers, laborers and students crowded the hallways and airy verandas of the colonial-era residence.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2022
It is an imposing piece of colonial-type architecture that contains several verandas, meeting rooms and living areas, a swimming pool and a huge lawn.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2022
The pace was slow and there were rambling houses with columned verandas.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
