wall
/wɔːl/ (bre, ipa) · /wɔːl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈwȯl/ (ame, mw)
wall — noun
1. a flat vertical surface, built from materials such as brick, stone, or timber, t
a flat vertical surface, built from materials such as brick, stone, or timber, that forms the side of a house or room, marks a boundary between two pieces of land, or stops animals or people from passing in or out.
The old stone walls of the castle were nearly three feet thick.
compound: stone wall / brick wall / concrete wall
Nora painted her bedroom wall a soft shade of blue last weekend.
A high brick wall surrounded the garden and kept the dogs inside.
The children hung their drawings on the classroom wall for everyone to see.
Obi leaned against the wall and waited for the bus to arrive.
文法句型
wall of [material]
compound: stone wall / brick wall / concrete wall
用法筆記
Often used in compound nouns to describe the material or purpose of the wall, such as stone wall, garden wall, or boundary wall.
常見錯誤
2. the tissue that forms the outermost covering of a hollow internal structure insi
the tissue that forms the outermost covering of a hollow internal structure inside a living creature, such as a stomach, blood tube, or plant cell.
The doctor explained that the stomach wall has several layers of muscle.
anatomical: stomach wall / cell wall / artery wall
High blood pressure can slowly damage the walls of your arteries over time.
Putri learned about the structure of cell walls in her biology class at school.
A bad infection had caused swelling in the wall of Anong's colon.
文法句型
[body part] wall
用法筆記
Frequently appears in compound medical terms (blood vessel wall, chest wall, abdominal wall). Learners need only recognize this sense in health contexts rather than actively produce it.
3. a dense crowd or thick cluster of individuals or items packed so tightly that mo
a dense crowd or thick cluster of individuals or items packed so tightly that moving beyond them becomes extremely difficult.
The demonstrators formed a solid wall to block the entrance to the building.
wall of + people/things forming an obstacle
A wall of security guards stood between the stage and the screaming fans.
Joon pushed through a wall of people to reach his friend at the concert.
After the storm, a wall of fallen trees blocked the mountain road completely.
文法句型
wall of [people/things]
用法筆記
Almost always followed by of + noun describing the people or objects forming the barrier. The subject of the sentence is typically someone trying to move past the wall.
4. in football (soccer), a line of defending players who stand side by side at a fi
in football (soccer), a line of defending players who stand side by side at a fixed distance from the ball to make it harder for the opposing team to score directly from a free kick.
The goalkeeper placed four players in the wall for the free kick.
football: defensive wall in a free kick
Mateo curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner of the net.
The referee made the wall stand exactly ten yards from the ball.
A well-organized wall is hard to score past in a free kick situation.
文法句型
form a wall
stand in the wall
defensive wall
用法筆記
Used primarily in British football contexts. American English typically uses wall only for soccer, not for American football. The phrase defensive wall is common in match commentary.
5. a large, powerful, fast-moving mass of something such as water, fire, or sound t
a large, powerful, fast-moving mass of something such as water, fire, or sound that moves forward like a solid barrier.
A wall of flame swept through the dry forest, forcing everyone to run.
wall of + substance (water/fire/sound)
The tsunami hit the coast as a wall of dark water fifteen feet high.
A wall of sound hit the crowd when the band played their first song.
Mira watched a wall of fog roll in from the sea toward the little harbor.
文法句型
wall of [substance]
用法筆記
Always uses the pattern wall of + noun and usually describes something dramatic or dangerous. Not used for small or gentle quantities — a light drizzle is not a wall of rain.
6. a feeling, attitude, or set of behaviours that stops two people or groups from s
a feeling, attitude, or set of behaviours that stops two people or groups from sharing ideas or understanding one another, or that holds back development or change.
A wall of mistrust between the two communities is hard to break down.
wall of + emotion; figurative barrier
After the argument, Charlotte felt a wall had grown between her and her sister.
The manager tried hard to break down the wall that kept staff from sharing ideas.
Years of misunderstanding had built a wall between the management and the workers.
- bridge
something that connects two groups instead of separating them
文法句型
wall of [emotion]
wall between [groups]
break down the wall
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3 (CROWD / BARRIER): sense 3 describes a literal physical mass; sense 6 describes an abstract emotional or social obstacle. The verb break down is a common fixed collocation for this sense.
常見錯誤
wall — verb
1. to build a wall around a place or area in order to protect it, enclose it, or st
to build a wall around a place or area in order to protect it, enclose it, or strengthen its defenses.
The old city was walled to protect it from attacks by enemy armies.
passive: be walled for protection
Yara's family walled their garden to stop deer from eating the vegetables.
In medieval times, most towns were walled to keep invaders out.
The government plans to wall the border area to control illegal crossings.
文法句型
be walled
wall [area] with [material]
用法筆記
Commonly used in the passive voice (was walled, is walled). The sense leans formal or historical; in everyday conversation, build a wall around is more frequent than the verb wall alone.
2. to close off an opening, space, or area by building a wall across it, or to sepa
to close off an opening, space, or area by building a wall across it, or to separate someone or something from others using a wall.
The homeowners walled off the old fireplace to create more space in the living room.
phrasal verb: wall off / wall up
The broken window was walled up with bricks and cement the next day.
The builders walled in the damaged section of the tunnel for safety reasons.
Obi walled off the storage area so the tools would not be in the way.
- open up
to create an opening or access
文法句型
wall off [something]
wall up [something]
wall [someone/something] in
用法筆記
Almost always appears with a particle (off, up, in) that specifies the direction or completeness of the separation. The bare verb wall without a particle belongs to sense 1 (SURROUND / FORTIFY).