verandah

IPA/vˈɛɹandə/
IPA/vˈɛɹændə/

verandah — noun

1. a roofed outdoor space with a floor raised above ground level, built along the f

1.nounB1
Definition

a roofed outdoor space with a floor raised above ground level, built along the front or side wall of a house, with one or more sides open to the air

Example

Lucas sat on the wooden verandah every evening to watch the sunset.

collocation: sit on the verandah

The old colonial house had a wide verandah with four rocking chairs and a table.

collocation: wide verandah

Common collocations
  • sit on the verandah
  • wide verandah
  • wooden verandah
  • covered verandah
  • front verandah
  • verandah overlooks
Synonyms
  • veranda

    same meaning; the more common spelling worldwide

  • porch

    wider term; a porch can be small or uncovered, while a verandah is always roofed and typically runs the length of a wall

Usage Note

Also spelled veranda (more common in American English and increasingly in British English too).

Common Mistakes

I sat on the verandah balcony.
I sat on the verandah.
a verandah is a type of porch; adding 'balcony' either confuses two different structures or is redundant.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Verandah and veranda refer to the same thing — a roofed, open-sided outdoor space attached to a house — with verandah being the older British spelling and veranda the modern standard in both American and British English. Porch is a broader term for any covered entrance to a building; unlike a verandah, a porch does not necessarily extend along the side of a structure. Terrace and patio describe uncovered outdoor areas, usually paved: a terrace is often attached to a house, while a patio may be freestanding. For example: 'The family ate dinner on the verandah during the rain' (roof keeps them dry), but 'They had a barbecue on the patio' (no roof).

veranda ↗porch ↗terrace ↗patio ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • verandah floor
  • verandah roof
  • verandah railing
  • verandah door

Phrases

  • sit on the verandah
  • step onto the verandah
  • verandah overlooks

Prepositions

  • on the verandah
  • along the verandah
  • from the verandah

Etymology

HindiPortugueseEnglish

The word verandah entered English in the 18th century from Hindi varaṇḍā (बरामदा) via Portuguese varanda, meaning 'balcony' or 'railing'. British colonists in India adopted the term for the open-sided roofed structures common in Indian architecture. The final 'h' was a British English spelling convention common in the 19th century; the spelling without 'h' (veranda) has since become the worldwide standard, though verandah is still used in British and Australian English.