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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• verandaed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• verandas
  plural

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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)

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Compare meaning

How does veranda compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• veranda vs. balcony

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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

The car had been hit as it passed in front of his house, and he was still cleaning up the veranda.

From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2025

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

But he said he was shaken by what occurred later after he accidently let Spacey’s dog out of the house while returning from smoking on the veranda.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 4, 2023

These were clothes for sauntering along the veranda at Mackinac or perhaps going on a jeep safari, but patently not for hiking.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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

It’s wrapped in verandas and shaded by a gnarly 300-year-old pine tree.

From New York Times ● Sep. 25, 2022

Many of these old brick and stone houses, with their tin-roofed verandas, still stood in Sophiatown, giving the township an air of Old World graciousness.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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Related Words

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

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