Word
Definition
n. a solid structure made of brick, stone, or wood that encloses an area or supports a roof. You use walls to divide rooms or keep people out of a garden.
n. a continuous vertical structure of brick, stone, or other substantial material that serves to enclose, divide, or protect an area. Often functions as a load-bearing element in architecture or a defensive barrier in a landscape.
Examples
“He painted the bedroom wall a light shade of blue.”
“The garden is surrounded by a high stone wall to provide privacy from the busy street outside.”
“Ancient cities were often defined by their defensive walls, which served both as a physical barrier against invaders and a symbolic boundary of the community's legal jurisdiction.”
Examples
simple
“He painted the bedroom wall a light shade of blue.”
contextual
“The garden is surrounded by a high stone wall to provide privacy from the busy street outside.”
complex
“Ancient cities were often defined by their defensive walls, which served both as a physical barrier against invaders and a symbolic boundary of the community's legal jurisdiction.”
Usage
Commonly used with prepositions like 'against' (leaning against the wall) or 'on' (hanging on the wall).
Real-World Examples
“The border wall is more than just a wall; it’s a vast surveillance network of interconnected drones, towers, and cameras.” “In September, Banksy stenciled this piece on the wall of the Royal Courts of Justice in London.” “The U.S.-Mexico border is defined in Texas by the Rio Grande, but the government does not install 30-foot-tall steel barriers in the middle of a river, let alone on its looping, unstable banks. So the border wall in South Texas isn’t built on the border.” Etymology
Of various origins, principally from Old English wælisc etc. ("non-Germanic speaker, stranger") from Proto-Germanic walhaz (“foreigner, stranger”), the source of numerous other surnames such as Walsh and Wales and from Middle English wall, from Old English weall (“wall, dike, rampart”), from Proto-Germanic wallaz or wallą (“wall, rampart”), from Latin vallum (“wall, rampart, palisade”), from Proto-Indo-European wel- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Also from transcribed foreign surnames such as German Wahl and Swedish Wahlberg.
See wall.
Calque of Mandarin 壁宿 (Bìxiù).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Related words
Idioms
01. back to the wall
03. bang one's head against a brick wall
07. Chinese Wall
08. climb the walls
10. fly on the wall
Show all 25
11. fourth wall
12. go to the wall
14. hit a wall
15. hit the wall
20. throw one's hat over the wall
21. throw spaghetti at the wall
22. throw things at the wall and see what sticks
23. wall of silence
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/wall
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0