What does "mall" mean?
A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct.
Mall
/mɔːl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct.
- Grammar: mall is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: promenade, shopping center, alameda, beaten path.
- Useful contrasts: bazaars, bazar, car dominated street.
- Usage evidence: Where's the nearest shopping mall?
How to use "mall"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mall" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mall" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mall" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mall" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mall" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "promenade" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mall", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct. Australia, Canada, New-Zealand, US, countable, uncountable
"The preliminary plans provide for one million square feet of selling space in three main buildings and a double row of shops along a central shopping mall."
- 2 mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace wordnet
- 3 An enclosed shopping centre. countable, uncountable
"Every day, at about the time the rest of us go to work, groups of retirees gather at many of America′s enclosed shopping malls."
- 4 a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk wordnet
- 5 An alley where the game of pall mall was played. countable, obsolete, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A public walk; a level shaded walk, a promenade. countable, uncountable
"Part of the area was laid out in gravel walks, and planted with elms; and these convenient and frequented walks obtained the name of the City Mall."
- 7 A heavy wooden mallet or hammer used in the game of pall mall. countable, uncountable
"I also fell slightly; but his fall proving a severe one, he arose in wrath, and struck me with the mall which he held in his hand, until my blood flowed copiously […]"
- 8 The game of polo. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 9 An old game played with malls or mallets and balls; pall mall. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"But playing with the Boy ar Mall, (I rue the Time, and ever shall) I struck the Ball, I know not how"
Verb
- 1 to beat with a mall, or mallet; to beat with something heavy; to bruise
- 2 to build up with the development of shopping malls
- 3 to shop at the mall informal
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Where's the nearest shopping mall?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mall"?
Common synonyms include: promenade, shopping center, alameda, beaten path, beaten track, berm.
How do you use "mall" in a sentence?
Where's the nearest shopping mall?
How do you pronounce "mall"?
Pronounced /mɔːl/.
Etymology
Probably from The Mall, a major street in London, England, which was originally a pall mall alley.