What does mall mean?
A mall is a large shopping complex containing numerous stores and often restaurants, cinemas, entertainment venues, and parking facilities. The word is especially common in American English, where “shopping mall” may be shortened simply to “mall”; British speakers more frequently say “shopping centre,” though “shopping mall” is also widely understood. In modern usage, a mall generally suggests a planned commercial destination designed for concentrated shopping, dining, and recreation. The word also has an older British sense for a broad public promenade or sheltered walk where people stroll for pleasure. This older meaning survives in the name The Mall, the ceremonial route in London connecting Buckingham Palace with Trafalgar Square. Although malls have faced criticism for encouraging car-dependent development and standardized retail, they remain prominent features of urban and suburban commercial life in many countries.
A large building or group of buildings containing many shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
"The new mall has forty stores and a large food court."
This is the dominant modern meaning in both British and American English.
A broad public promenade or tree-lined walk used for strolling.
"They walked beneath the trees along the old mall."
This sense is now uncommon and is chiefly preserved in British usage and in place names such as The Mall in London.
The regular plural is used for both shopping complexes and promenades.
"Several malls extend their opening hours during the holiday season."
London’s famous ceremonial route, The Mall, takes its name from the older sense of a mall: a broad public promenade for walking.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mall come from?
The familiar modern meaning developed in the 20th century from the expression “shopping mall,” in which “mall” originally denoted a promenade or public walk. The English promenade sense is associated especially with The Mall in London, whose name comes from this older vocabulary. The precise remote origin of that name is historically uncertain, so it is safer not to assign a definite language or root.
How mall is actually used
In contemporary American English, “mall” usually means a shopping center. British English more often uses “shopping centre,” although “shopping mall” is also common. The older sense meaning a promenade is uncommon today but is preserved in place names such as London’s The Mall.