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n. 1. An upright structure of masonry, wood, plaster, or other building material serving to enclose, divide, or protect an area, especially a vertical construction forming an inner partition or exterior siding of a building. 2. often walls A continuous structure of masonry or other material forming a rampart and built for defensive purposes. 3. A structure of stonework, concrete, or other material built to retain a flow of water. 4. a. Something resembling a wall in appearance, function, or construction, as the exterior surface of a body organ or part: the abdominal wall. b. Something resembling a wall in impenetrability or strength: a wall of silence; a wall of fog. c. An extreme or desperate condition or position, such as defeat or ruin: driven to the wall by poverty. 5. Sports The vertical surface of an ocean wave in surfing. tr.v. walled, wall·ing, walls Idioms: 1. To enclose, surround, or fortify with or as if with a wall: wall up an old window. See Synonyms at enclose. 2. To divide or separate with or as if with a wall. Often used with off: wall off half a room. 3. To confine or seal behind a wall; immure: "I determined to wall [the body] up in the cellar" (Edgar Allan Poe). 4. To block or close (an opening or passage, for example) with or as if with a wall. off the wall Slang 1. Extremely unconventional. 2. Without foundation; ridiculous: an accusation that is really off the wall. up the wall Slang Into a state of extreme frustration, anger, or distress: tensions that are driving me up the wall. writing/handwriting on the wall An ominous indication of the course of future events: saw the writing on the wall and fled the country. [Middle English, from Old English weall, from Latin vallum, palisade, from vallus, stake. Idiom, in reference to an incident in the Bible (Daniel 5) in which a hand writes mysterious words on the wall of Belshazzar's banquet hall and the prophet Daniel interprets them as predicting the king's downfall.] wallless adj. |
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