/ wɔːl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a long vertical solid structure, made of stone, brick or concrete, that surrounds, divides or protects an area of land :
The fields were divided by stone walls.
He sat on the wall and watched the others playing.
—see also sea wall
2.
any of the vertical sides of a building or room :
I'm going to paint the walls white and the ceiling pink.
Hang the picture on the wall opposite the window.
She leaned against the wall.
3.
something that forms a barrier or stops you from making progress :
The boat struck a solid wall of water.
The investigators were confronted by a wall of silence .
4.
the outer layer of sth hollow such as an organ of the body or a cell of an animal or a plant :
the abdominal wall
the wall of an artery
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IDIOMS
- go to the wall
- off the wall
- up the wall
- walls have ears
—more at back noun , bounce verb , brick noun , fly noun , four , handwriting , head noun , writing
■ verb
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to surround an area, a town, etc. with a wall or walls :
a walled city
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PHRASAL VERBS
- wall sth in
- wall sth off
- wall sb up
- wall sth up
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English , from Latin vallum rampart, from vallus stake.