Meaning & use
concourse
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Meanings
nouncountable
A large open hall in a station, airport or similar building where people walk, wait or gather.
Grammar: Countable: the main concourse, two concourses.
Patterns
- on the concourse
- across the concourse
We met under the clock on the main concourse.
Shops and cafes line the airport concourse.
Commuters hurried across the concourse to catch the train.
nouncountable
A wide path or open area, often lined with shops, in a stadium, park or mall.
Grammar: Countable, and often named by location: the stadium concourse.
Patterns
- the concourse of something
Fans lined up for snacks on the stadium concourse.
The mall's concourse was decorated for the holiday.
Street performers played on the park concourse.
nounsingularformalold-fashioned
A large crowd or gathering of people.
Grammar: Formal and old-fashioned: a concourse of people.
Patterns
- a concourse of people
A vast concourse of pilgrims gathered at the shrine.
The festival drew a concourse of curious visitors.
He addressed the concourse from a balcony.
Word forms
| plural | concourses |
|---|
Common combinations
- station concourse
- The station concourse was crowded at rush hour.
- airport concourse
- Her gate was at the end of the airport concourse.
- main concourse
- Tickets are sold on the main concourse.
- crowded concourse
- A crowded concourse made it hard to find my friend.
- concourse level
- Restrooms are on the concourse level.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hall
- Hall is a general word for a large room, but concourse implies a busy public space for passing through.
- atrium
- An atrium is a tall open space inside a building, usually with a glass roof, while a concourse is mainly for walking and waiting.
- lobby
- A lobby is an entrance room, usually smaller than a concourse.
- throng
- Throng means a dense crowd itself, matching the older sense of concourse as a gathering.
Word family
Commonly confused: concourse or concours? concourse or discourse?
concourse vs concours
Concours, as in concours d'elegance, is a French word for a show of cars, not a public hall.
concourse vs discourse
Discourse means serious discussion, which is unrelated to a physical place.
Practice
We agreed to meet on the station ___ beside the departure board.
Choose one answer.
A concourse is the open hall in a station; discourse is talk, recourse is a source of help, and concord is agreement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “concourse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.