veranda

American  

[vuh-ran-duh] / vəˈræn də /

noun

• verandas
  plural

1. 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.

2. piazza.

---

veranda British  

/ vəˈrændə /

noun

1. a porch or portico, sometimes partly enclosed, along the outside of a building

2. a canopy sheltering pedestrians in a shopping street

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• verandaed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• verandas
  plural

---

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:

• veranda vs. balcony

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

veranda verandas

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

Here, you’ll come across the ruins of the White Point Hot Springs Hotel, where guests once lounged in hot sulfur spring-fed swimming pools and shimmied the Charleston on the veranda.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 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

Listening to him on his veranda are four generations of his family.

From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2024

He stood up and began to pace the veranda.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

But many recall how the place kept alive a fragment of Delhi's elite past through small rituals: liveried waiters at dusk, gin and lime on shaded verandas, retired generals and diplomats lingering under neem trees.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

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

Soldiers were still securing the streets of the kibbutz, once neatly lined with palm trees, banana plants and single-storey houses with verandas.

From Reuters ● Oct. 10, 2023

Makeshift pool arcades flourish in bars, verandas in front of shops, and just about any open space.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 26, 2022

On the left, large white houses with long columns and graceful verandas ruled the approach to the river with mute elegance.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• balcony
• patio
• piazza
• platform
• portico
• stoop
• terrace

---