The hall in a house or flat is the area just inside the front door, into which some of the other rooms open.
[British]
The lights were on in the hall and in the bedroom.
regional note: in AM, use entrance hall
Synonyms: passage, lobby, corridor, hallway More Synonyms of hall
2. countable noun
A hall in a building is a long passage with doors into rooms on both sides of it.
[mainly US]regional note: in BRIT, use hallway
3. countable noun [oft noun NOUN]
A hall is a large room or building which is used for public events such as concerts, exhibitions, and meetings.
Its 300 inhabitants will be celebrating with a dance in the village hall.
We picked up our conference materials and filed into the lecture hall.
His five-night residency at London's Royal Albert Hall was a tour-de-force.
Synonyms: meeting place, chamber, auditorium, concert hall More Synonyms of hall
4. See also city hall, town hall
5. countable noun
If students live inhall in British English, or in ahall in American English, they live in a university or college building called a hall of residence.
6. countable noun
Hall is sometimes used as part of the name of a large house in the country.
He died at Holly Hall, his wife's family home.
7. noun, in names
Hall is sometimes used as part of the name of a large building, especially one where public events or concerts take place
...New York's Carnegie Hall.
8. See also entrance hall, music hall
hall in British English
(hɔːl)
noun
1.
a room serving as an entry area within a house or building
2. (sometimes capital)
a building for public meetings
3. (often capital)
the great house of an estate; manor
4.
a large building or room used for assemblies, worship, concerts, dances, etc
5.
a residential building, esp in a university; hall of residence
6.
a.
a large room, esp for dining, in a college or university
b.
a meal eaten in this room
7.
the large room of a house, castle, etc
8. US and Canadian
a passage or corridor into which rooms open
9. (often plural) informal short for music hall
Word origin
Old English heall; related to Old Norse höll, Old High German halla hall, Latin celacell1, Old Irish cuile cellar, Sanskrit śālā hut; see hell
Hall in British English
(hɔːl)
noun
1.
Charles Martin. 1863–1914, US chemist: discovered the electrolytic process for producing aluminium
2.
Sir John. 1824–1907, New Zealand statesman, born in England: prime minister of New Zealand (1879–82)
3.
Sir Peter. 1930–2017, English stage director: director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (1960–73) and of the National Theatre (1973–88)
4.
(Marguerite) Radclyffe. 1883–1943, British novelist and poet. Her frank treatment of a lesbian theme in the novel The Well of Loneliness (1928) led to an obscenity trial
Hall in American English
(hɔl)
1.
Charles Martin1863-1914; U.S. chemist: discovered electrolytic process for reducing aluminum frombauxite
2.
G(ranville) Stanley1844-1924; U.S. psychologist & educator
hall in American English
(hɔl)
noun
1. Obsolete
a.
the great central room in the dwelling of a king or chieftain, where banquets, games, etc. were held
b.
the dwelling itself
2.
the main dwelling on the estate of a baron, squire, etc.
3. [sometimesH-]
a building containing public offices or the headquarters of an organization, for transacting business, holding meetings, etc.
4.
a large public or semipublic room for gatherings, entertainments, etc.
5. [sometimesH-]
a college dormitory, classroom building, eating center, etc.
6.
a passageway or room between the entrance and the interior of a building; vestibule, foyer, or lobby
7.
a passageway or area onto which rooms open; hallway
Word origin
ME halle < OE heall (akin to Ger halle), lit., that which is covered < base of helan, to cover < IE base *kel-, to cover > hell, L celare, to conceal
hall in Hospitality
(hɔl)
Word forms: (regular plural) halls
noun
(Hospitality (hotel): Hotel facilities)
A hall in a building is a long passage with doors into rooms on both sides of it.
There are ten rooms along each hall.
The lights were on in the hall and in the guest bedrooms.
Your room is the last door at the right side of the hall.
Examples of 'hall' in a sentence
hall
The two concert halls are housed in giant concrete shells within the glass curtain above the plaza.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
My home is the southeast wing of a country hall.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The hall or the bedroom should align with the design and decor of the bathroom.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
At the end of next month its accessories hall will open in the first of three phases.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The next big concert hall project should be in the southwest.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
If you move into halls leave your door open with music on - you won't be alone for long.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And they didn't want the bright front room off the hall to become a neglected space that the family bypassed on the way to a rear kitchen.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
With double bedrooms and spacious common areas fitted with designer furniture, the atmosphere is relaxed, reminiscent of a university hall of residence.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In the conference hall where they waited was a table.
Christianity Today (2000)
Church halls and school buildings will be offered for use as well as churches.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is a huge chunk of metal still sticking out of the village hall door.
The Sun (2008)
Over the next two weeks he will hold public meetings in town halls across the country.
The Sun (2010)
Yet other academics are keen to see evolutionary theory challenged in university lecture halls.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They lived in one part of the hall and rented out the rest.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The hall is a place to wait.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
She added blues in the hall and bedrooms.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This she dropped as she ran from the kitchen into the front hall.
Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)
That was evident in the concerts to open the new hall.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The kitchen was across the hall and the room was really just a bedroom and a desk.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But they were absolutely insistent that the door between the hall and the kitchen must remain.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This place is big enough to house an entire university halls of residence.
The Sun (2012)
Connecticut schools have been fitting yellow intruder alarms next to fire alarms in their corridors and dining halls.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In the morning the tiled floor of the conference hall was cleared and scrubbed down by its temporary occupants.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
London has a new concert hall.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
But a search of her home by town hall officials led them to realise there was more to her thananyone thought.
The Sun (2010)
There are always two audiences - one in the hall and one at home.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Formerly a church hall, the building is now used to store equipment for the village fête.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
As well as concerts, the hall had provided popular education.
Susie Gilbert and Jay Shir A TALE OF FOUR HOUSES: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since1945 (2003)
Romance had flourished when he was dragged along to an Islington dance hall.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The hall is intended to feel like a country house hall, not a reception area.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Somebody has defaced one of city hall's famous murals and it must be replaced.
The Sun (2013)
Word lists with
hall
Places of entertainment, home
In other languages
hall
British English: hall /hɔːl/ NOUN
In a house or flat, the hall is the area just inside the front door.
The lights were on in the hall.
American English: hall
Arabic: قاعَة
Brazilian Portuguese: saguão
Chinese: 大厅
Croatian: predvorje
Czech: předsíň
Danish: entré rum
Dutch: hal
European Spanish: vestíbulo
Finnish: eteinen
French: hall
German: Korridor
Greek: προθάλαμος
Italian: sala
Japanese: 入口の廊下
Korean: 홀
Norwegian: entré
Polish: sala
European Portuguese: átrio
Romanian: hol
Russian: прихожая
Latin American Spanish: vestíbulo
Swedish: samlingssal
Thai: ห้องโถง
Turkish: salon
Ukrainian: зала
Vietnamese: đại sảnh
All related terms of 'hall'
beer hall
a bar, cabaret , or the like, chiefly serving beer and usually offering music, dancing, etc
city hall
The city hall is the building which a city council uses as its main offices.
hall tree
a clothes tree, esp. one in an entrance hall
mess hall
A mess hall is a large room where a particular group of people, especially members of the armed forces, eat meals together.
pool hall
a hall or establishment where pool , billiards , etc, are played
town hall
In Britain , a town hall in a town is a large building owned and used by the town council , often as its main office . You can also use town hall to refer to the town council that uses this building.
bingo hall
a building owned by a commercial company in which bingo is played by large numbers of people
church hall
a building near to or attached to a church suitable for social gatherings
civic hall
a public venue , often used for recreational facilities such as sports clubs or music concerts
dance hall
Dance halls were large rooms or buildings where people used to pay to go and dance, usually in the evening.
dining hall
a large room where meals are eaten, esp within an office, school etc.
Hall effect
the production of a potential difference across a conductor carrying an electric current when a magnetic field is applied in a direction perpendicular to that of the current flow
Hall-Jones
Sir William . 1851–1936, New Zealand statesman , born in England: prime minister of New Zealand (1906)
hall porter
a person employed to carry luggage , etc, at a hotel
hiring hall
an employment office, esp. one operated by a union to place its members in jobs in the order of their applications
music hall
Music hall was a popular form of entertainment in the theatre in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. It consisted of a series of performances by comedians , singers , and dancers.
Newby Hall
a mansion near Ripon in Yorkshire : built in 1705 and altered (1770–76) by Robert Adam
parish hall
a room or building associated with a parish church, used by the local community for social or charitable activities (though not necessarily religious activities)
Rideau Hall
(in Canada ) the official residence of the Governor General, in Ottawa
sports hall
a building or part of a building in which sports are played
study hall
a classroom used for studying
arrivals hall
the area of an airport where incoming passengers arrive
assembly hall
a very large room used to hold public meetings , to stage shows, etc
baggage hall
a large room at an airport , usually containing a number of carousels , where passengers go to collect their baggage after a flight
baronial hall
a large building or room owned by a baron
Carnegie Hall
a famous concert hall in New York (opened 1891); endowed by Andrew Carnegie
concert hall
a hall where concerts are performed
entrance hall
The entrance hall of a large house, hotel, or other large building, is the area just inside the main door.
Festival Hall
a concert hall in London , on the South Bank of the Thames : constructed for the 1951 Festival of Britain; completed 1964–65
hall bedroom
a small bedroom off a corridor , esp. a small bedroom formed by partitioning off the end of an upstairs corridor
Hardwick Hall
an Elizabethan mansion near Chesterfield in Derbyshire: built 1591–97 for Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Bess of Hardwick)
Holkham Hall
a Palladian mansion near Wells in Norfolk : built 1734–59 by William Kent for Thomas Coke
lecture hall
a hall in which lectures are given
liberty hall
a place or condition of complete liberty
Tammany Hall
the central organization of the Democratic Party in New York county . Originally founded as a benevolent society ( Tammany Society ) in 1789, Tammany Hall was notorious for the corruption in city and state politics that it fostered in the 19th and early 20th centuries
Toynbee Hall
a residential settlement in East London , named after Arnold Toynbee (1852–83), a British economist and social reformer
village hall
a building used by people who live in a village for community events, playgroups , etc
banqueting hall
a large building or room used for feasts
exhibition hall
a hall in which pictures , sculptures , or other objects of interest are displayed
Hall of Fame
If you say that someone is a member of a particular hall of fame , you mean that they are one of the most famous people in that area of activity .
Kedleston Hall
a mansion near Derby in Derbyshire : rebuilt (1759–65) for the Curzon family by Matthew Brettingham, James Paine , and Robert Adam
residence hall
accommodation for students , usually providing dormitories , shared or private rooms on campus , and providing food etc
Independence Hall
building in Philadelphia , Pa ., where the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed
fight city hall
to take up the apparently futile fight against petty or impersonal bureaucratic authority
hall of residence
Halls of residence are buildings with rooms or flats , usually built by universities or colleges, in which students live during the term.
study hall teacher
a teacher who supervises or helps students during a period of time or lesson used for studying
hallstand
a piece of furniture on which are hung coats, hats , etc
poolroom
a hall or establishment where pool , billiards , etc, are played
rec room (or hall)
→ recreation room (or hall)
Royal Festival Hall
a concert hall in London , on the South Bank of the Thames : constructed for the 1951 Festival of Britain; completed 1964–65