Mall Meaning
/mɔːl/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct.
nounAn enclosed shopping centre.
Sentence Examples
Where's the nearest shopping mall?
I've been to the mall.
Is there a bus that goes to the mall?
CEFR Practice Quiz
She spent the entire afternoon shopping with friends at the new ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We spent the entire afternoon at the ____, looking at the different shops and having a very nice lunch.
Word Origin & History
Probably from The Mall, a major street in London, England, which was originally a pall mall alley.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1950 August 15, Philip Hampson, “Field's Plans 15 to 20 Million Shopping Center for Skokie”, in Chicago Daily Tribune, page 1:
"America′s first pedestrianized shopping mall opened in 1959 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Like most later pedestrian malls, it was intended to revive what everybody thought was a decaying downtown."
— 2002, Alexander Garvin, The American City: What Works, What Doesn′t, page 179:
"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."
— 2004, Ralph E. Warner, Get a Life: You Don′t Need a Million to Retire Well, unnumbered page:
"Cancel plans just in case you'd call / And say, "Meet me behind the mall""
— 2020, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, “August”, in Folklore:
"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."
— 1820, Robert Southey, The Life of Wesley; and Rise and Progress of Methodism:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She spent the entire afternoon shopping with friends at the new ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We spent the entire afternoon at the ____, looking at the different shops and having a very nice lunch.