Definition

1. Noun:
   • A large building for meetings or entertainment: A substantial structure designed to accommodate public gatherings, performances, or events.
   • A large building used by a college or university: A building on an academic campus used for teaching, research, or administration.
   • A large and imposing house: A grand, often historic, residence.
   • The large room of a manor or castle: The principal room in a large house or castle, used for dining and receiving guests.
   • A college or university building containing living quarters for students: A residence building for students, often called a dormitory or dorm.
   • A large room for gatherings or entertainment: A sizable enclosed space within a building used for specific functions like lectures, dining, or sports.
   • A large entrance or reception room or area: A room or space just inside the main entrance of a building.
   • An interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open: A long, narrow area in a building providing access to rooms; a hallway.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The concert was held in the town hall. (The event took place in the municipal building for public gatherings.)
  • The science hall is on the north side of campus. (The university building for science is located there.)
  • They live in a magnificent Tudor hall. (They reside in a grand, stately home.)
  • The knights feasted in the great hall. (They dined in the main room of the castle.)
  • She lives in a freshman hall. (Her residence is a building for first-year university students.)
  • We rented a hall for the wedding reception. (We booked a large room for the party.)
  • Please wait for me in the entrance hall. (Wait in the reception area near the door.)
  • Her office is at the end of the hall. (Her office is located at the far end of the corridor.)

Advanced Usage

• "halls of learning": A poetic or formal phrase referring to institutions of education, like schools or universities.

  • He spent his youth in the halls of learning. (He was educated at academic institutions.)

• "halls of power": A metaphorical phrase referring to the places where important political or corporate decisions are made.

  • She is a respected figure in the halls of power. (She is influential in government or corporate headquarters.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hallway (n): A corridor in a building. (Often used interchangeably with the corridor sense of "hall").

  • The hallway was lined with doors.

• Hallmark (n): A distinctive feature or characteristic. (Etymology relates to the official mark of the Goldsmiths' Hall in London).

  • Attention to detail is the hallmark of his work.

• Hallowed (adj): Greatly respected or holy.

  • They stood on hallowed ground.

Synonyms

• Auditorium: A large room or building for public gatherings, especially for performances.
• Corridor: A long passage in a building; a hallway.
• Manor: A large country house with lands.
• Lobby: An entrance hall or waiting area.

Related Phrases (Phrasal verbs are not typically associated with the noun "hall".)

• Hall monitor: A person, often a student, assigned to supervise a school hallway.
  • The hall monitor reported the noise.

Related Idioms

• "Don't air your dirty laundry in public" (or "...in the hall"): An idiom advising not to discuss private matters openly. While not containing "hall," it relates to the public space of a hallway.
  • They were arguing loudly in the office hall; they shouldn't air their dirty laundry like that.

Noun

1. a large building for meetings or entertainment
2. a large building used by a college or university for teaching or research
   • halls of learning
3. a large and imposing house
4. United States astronomer who discovered Phobos and Deimos (the two satellites of Mars) (1829-1907)
5. United States explorer who led three expeditions to the Arctic (1821-1871)
6. United States chemist who developed an economical method of producing aluminum from bauxite (1863-1914)
7. United States child psychologist whose theories of child psychology strongly influenced educational psychology (1844-1924)
8. English writer whose novel about a lesbian relationship was banned in Britain for many years (1883-1943)
9. the large room of a manor or castle
10. a college or university building containing living quarters for students
11. a large room for gatherings or entertainment
    • lecture hall
    • pool hall
12. a large entrance or reception room or area
13. an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
    • the elevators were at the end of the hall