Meaning & use
wall
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Meanings
nouncountable
An upright structure of brick, stone, wood or similar material that forms the side of a room or building or marks off an area.
Grammar: Has a plural: the walls of the house. Use on the wall for pictures and in the wall for things built inside.
Patterns
- on the wall
- a wall around something
- a wall between things
She hung three framed photos on the living room wall.
A high stone wall surrounded the old garden.
The children kicked a ball against the wall all afternoon.
nouncountablefigurative
Something that blocks movement or communication, like a barrier made of people, objects or feelings.
Grammar: Used figuratively, often with of: a wall of silence, a wall of sound.
Patterns
- a wall of something
- hit a wall
- put up a wall
The reporters ran into a wall of silence at the company office.
After years of arguments, a wall stood between the two brothers.
Marathon runners often say they hit a wall around the thirtieth kilometer.
nouncountablebiologytechnical
The thin outer layer or lining of a part of the body, a cell or a hollow organ.
Grammar: Used with of and the name of the organ: the wall of the stomach.
Patterns
- the wall of something
The artery wall had grown thick over many years.
Plant cells have a rigid wall that gives them shape.
The doctor explained that the stomach wall was slightly inflamed.
verbtransitive
To surround or divide a place with a wall, or to block something off using a wall.
Grammar: Takes an object and is often used with in, off or up: wall in the garden.
Patterns
- wall something in
- wall something off
- wall something up
The builders walled off the old doorway.
The monks walled in their courtyard to keep out the wind.
Years ago, someone had walled up the attic window.
Word forms
| plural | walls |
|---|---|
| third person singular | walls |
| past tense | walled |
| past participle | walled |
| -ing form | walling |
Common combinations
- a brick wall
- A brick wall separated the yard from the street.
- climb a wall
- The boys tried to climb the wall to get their ball back.
- paint a wall
- We will paint the bedroom wall light blue this weekend.
- hit a wall
- The project hit a wall when the funding disappeared.
- a retaining wall
- They built a retaining wall to stop the hillside sliding.
- a wall of noise
- A wall of noise greeted the band as they walked on stage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- partition
- A partition is a thin wall dividing the inside of a space, and it is less solid than a typical wall.
- barrier
- Barrier is broader and can mean any obstacle, physical or abstract, not just a built upright structure.
- fence
- A fence is made of posts, wire or boards and marks a boundary outdoors, whereas a wall is usually solid brick or stone.
- rampart
- Rampart is a historical word for a defensive earth or stone wall around a castle or town.
Opposites
Word family
- walled adjective
- surrounded or protected by a wall
- wallpaper noun
- decorated paper pasted on interior walls
- walling noun
- material used to build walls
Commonly confused: wall or wail? wall or whole?
wall vs wail
Wail is a long, high cry of sadness or pain; it sounds nearly the same in fast speech but is a different word with a different spelling.
wall vs whole
Whole means complete and is not related; learners sometimes mix up the spelling of wall with whole in fast writing.
Practice
The reporter tried every contact she had but ran into a ______ of silence from the officials.
Choose one answer.
A wall of silence is the fixed expression for a refusal to talk that blocks all questions. A door of silence is not used in English, even though a door can also be shut.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wall”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.