wall

plural walls

1. A rampart of earth, stones etc. built up for defensive purposes.
2. A structure built for defense surrounding a city, castle etc.

   The town wall was surrounded by a moat.

   1 more example

   From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.

   2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52

3. Each of the substantial structures acting either as the exterior of or divisions within a structure.

   We're adding another wall in this room during the remodeling.  The wind blew against the walls of the tent.

   2 more examples

   […] St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close-packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit.

   1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

   Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime.

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 14, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

4. A point of desperation.
5. A point of defeat or extinction.

   They want Abramovich out for obvious reasons, including the optics, and they do not want to send Chelsea to the wall as they consider the club to be of cultural significance to the country.

   March 11 2022, David Hytner, “Chelsea are in crisis but there is no will to leave club on their knees”, in The Guardian

6. An impediment to free movement.

   A wall of police officers met the protesters before they reached the capitol steps.

7. The butterfly Lasiommata megera.

   Researchers found that 15 of 17 species which commonly live on farmland – including the small tortoiseshell, small skipper and wall butterfly – show declines associated with increasing neonic use.

   2015 November 24, Patrick Barkham, “Pesticide may be reason butterfly numbers are falling in UK, says study”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms: wall brown

8. in compoundsoftenA barrier.

   a seawall; a firewall

9. Something with the apparent solidity, opacity, or dimensions of a building wall.

   a wall of sound; a wall of water; a wall of smoke obscured their view of enemy forces

10. figurativelyA means of defence or security.

    I built a wall between myself and the bullies.

11. One of the vertical sides of a container.

    The extraordinary thinness of the walls of these vases, which reminds us of the finest china, or even of Venetian glass

    1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page 60

12. anatomyA dividing or containing structure in an organ or cavity.

    There is definitely some sort of lump on the back wall of my throat (right side).

    1982 April 24, Matthew Ross, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, page 15

    1 more example

    The epidermal cells of the capsule wall of Jubulopsis, with nodose "trigones" at the angles, are very reminiscent of what one finds in Frullania spp.

    1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, pages 4-5

    Synonyms: paries

13. A fictional bidder used to increase the price at an auction.

    Synonyms: chandelier

14. USslangmedicineA doctor who tries to admit as few patients as possible.

    Antonyms: sieve

15. ball gamesA line of defenders set up between an opposing free-kick taker and the goal.

    Blackburn were the recipients of another dose of fortune when from another Thomas pass Odemwingie was brought down by Jones inside the penalty area, but referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a free-kick which Chris Brunt slammed into the wall.

    2011 January 23, Alistair Magowan, “Blackburn 2-0 West Brom”, in BBC

16. roller derbyTwo or more blockers skating together so as to impede the opposing team.

    It can also be used to maintain the presence of a wall when one of the blockers who makes up the wall is picked off by an opposing blocker attempting to shut down the wall.

    2013, Ellen Parnavelas, The Roller Derby Athlete, page 48

17. businessAny of the surfaces of rock enclosing the lode.
18. InternetA personal notice board listing messages of interest to a particular user.

    Synonyms: profile

19. roleplaying gamesA character that has high defenses, thereby reducing the amount of damage taken from the opponent’s attacks.
20. board gamesFace-down tiles arranged in stacked rows from which players draw new tiles.
21. definiteslanglifestyleThe stage of biological aging where physical appearance and attractiveness start to deteriorate rapidly.

    That was only six years later and Natasha is not near the wall yet

    2002 January 22, “towards a useful smv metric”, in soc.singles (Usenet)

    4 more examples

    Depreciation of assets happens. Prepare yourself Marla. Get ready for the wall.

    1996 December 27, “The Definitive Answer to "Why Nice Guys Finish Last"”, in alt.romance (Usenet)

    At what age would you peg the 'wall' to be for men, on or thereabouts?

    2001 February 2, “what a drag it is getting old”, in soc.singles (Usenet)

    I have never had a problem getting the attention of men. I'm 44 and there's no wall staring me in the face

    2001 June 19, “the laws of biomechanics”, in soc.singles (Usenet)

    As for the wall....Im convinced part of this is just something us guys tell ourselves to 'get back'(in our minds) at all the girls who wouldn't sleep with us 5-10 years ago

    2015 July 20, “catcalls are bad”, in rec.sport.football.college (Usenet)

22. historicalThe right or privilege of taking the side of the road near the wall when encountering another pedestrian; said to be taken or given.

    All persons, in walking the streets, whose right sides are next the wall, are intitled to take the wall.

    1822, The Pamphleteer, page 118

    2 more examples

    He related to me the following minute anecdote of this period: 'In the last age, when my mother lived in London, there were two sets of people, those who gave the wall, and those who took it; the peaceable and the quarrelsome. […] Now it is fixed that every man keeps to the right; or, if one is taking the wall, another yields it; and it is never a dispute.'

    1791, James Boswell, Life of Johnson

    Taking the wall thus was also a social distinction. An entire episode in the second book is therefore dedicated “to whom to give the wall” and “to whom to refuse the wall” (II. 4564).

    2017, Catharina Löffler, Walking in the City, page 135

23. cyclingA very steep slope.

present singular third person walls · participle present walling · participle past walled · past walled

1. transitiveTo enclose with, or as if with, a wall or walls.

   He walled the study with books.

2. slangvideo gamesTo use a wallhack.
3. slangtransitivevideo gamesTo wallbang.

   I walled her. She's low [health].

present singular third person walls · participle present walling · participle past walled · past walled

1. To boil.
2. To well, as water; spring.

plural walls

1. dialectalA spring of water.

plural walls

1. nauticalA kind of knot often used at the end of a rope; a wall knot or wale.

present singular third person walls · participle present walling · participle past walled · past walled

1. transitivenauticalTo make a wall knot on the end of (a rope).

1. USpronunciation spellingPronunciation spelling of well.

   Wall, be that as it may, ol' Hosshead was a purty good citizen in his day, an' he shore did make Juneybell toe the mark.

   1988, Herbert M. Sutherland, Tall Tales of the Devil's Apron, The Overmountain Press, →ISBN, page 97

   1 more example

   Wall, they spoke up, 'n' says to her, s'd they, "Why, look a-here, aunty, Wus't his skin, 't was rock?" so s's she, "I guess not." (Well, they spoke up and says to her, said they, "Why look a-here, aunty, was it his skin that was rock [referring to the Apostle Peter]?" So says she, "I guess not.")

   1858, Robert Lowell, The New Priest in Conception Bay

plural Walls

1. countableuncountableA surname.

   Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Wall taught karate at a local nursing home.

   2020 June 10, Ashley Vaughan, “This teenage martial artist creates videos to help superhero seniors stay active while in quarantine”, in CNN

2. A place in England:
   1. countableuncountableA village in Gwinear-Gwithian parish, south-west Cornwall (OS grid ref SW6036).
   2. countableuncountableA village and civil parish in south Northumberland (OS grid ref NY9169); part of Hadrian's Wall is in the parish.
   3. countableuncountableA village and civil parish in the City of Lichfield district, Staffordshire (OS grid ref SK0906).
3. A place in the United States:
   1. countableuncountableA township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, named after Garret D. Wall.

      The new yearbooks at Wall Township High School in Wall, New Jersey – with the original, unaltered photos – will be available for students to pick up in about two weeks, Cheryl Dyer, the superintendent of Wall Township schools, said in a letter to students and parents.

      2017 June 16, Doug Criss and Ellie Kaufman, “School issues new yearbooks after Trump’s name is removed from photos”, in CNN

   2. countableuncountableA borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
   3. countableuncountableA town in Pennington County, South Dakota.
   4. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Tom Green County, Texas.

1. slanghistoryThe Berlin Wall.
2. slangThe Trump Wall.
3. slangThe Great Wall of China.

1. astronomyA Chinese constellation located near Pegasus and Andromeda, one of the 28 lunar mansions and part of the larger Black Turtle.

1. A diminutive of the male given names Waldo, Walter, Wallabee, and Wallace.