wall
noun /wɔːl/
/wɔːl/
Idioms - a long, solid structure that rises straight up from the ground, made of stone, brick or concrete, that surrounds, divides or protects an area of land
- to build a wall
- a brick/concrete wall
- The fields were divided by stone walls.
- He sat on the wall and watched the others playing.
- The enemy set up camp just outside the city walls.
- a private garden hidden behind high walls
- They quickly climbed over the wall and ran off.
Extra ExamplesTopics Buildingsa1- The Trojans brought the Wooden Horse within the walls.
- His plan was to fortify the defensive walls around the city.
- Nobody can see behind the wall.
- The burglars must have scaled the side wall.
- There was a wall separating the two garages.
- They built a retaining wall around the pond.
- high walls around the prison
- the wall along the seafront
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high
- low
- long
- …
- build
- erect
- put up
- …
- stand
- collapse
- fall
- …
- clock
- light
- plug
- …
- against a/the wall
- behind a/the wall
- on a/the wall
- …
- any of the sides of a building or room
- She leaned against the wall.
- on a wall Colourful abstract paintings hung on the walls.
- He drilled a hole in the wall.
- Books lined the walls.
- I'm going to paint the walls white and the ceiling pink.
- the row of tables along the back wall
- Pictures covered the walls.
- wall between A and B the wall between the living room and the dining room
Collocations Decorating and home improvementDecorating and home improvementHousessee also cavity wall, climbing wall, party wall- refurbish/renovate/ (British English) do up a building/a house
- convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially North American English) apartments/(British English) flats
- extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen
- build (British English) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(North American English) an addition (on/to something)/(British English) a conservatory
- knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall
- knock out/through the wall separating two rooms
- furnish/paint/ (especially British English) decorate a home/a house/an apartment/a flat/a room
- be decorated in bright colours/in a traditional style/with flowers/with paintings
- paint/plaster the walls/ceiling
- hang/put up/strip off/remove the wallpaper
- install/replace/remove the bathroom fixtures/(British English) fittings
- build/put up shelves
- lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio
- put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtain
- do (British English) DIY/carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring
- make home improvements
- add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation
- fit/install double-glazing/a smoke alarm
- insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/(especially British English) the loft
- fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially British English) tap/(North American English usually) faucet
- block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink
- make/drill/fill a hole
- hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail
- tighten/untighten/loosen/remove a screw
- saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood
Extra ExamplesTopics Houses and homesa1, Buildingsa1- Photos were pinned to the wall behind her desk.
- A glass wall separates the foyer from the gallery.
- He heard voices through the wall.
- Ivy grew along the outer walls of the building.
- Hang the picture on the wall opposite the window.
- If a load-bearing wall is weakened, the building could fall down.
- She covered her walls with pictures of film stars.
- She hung the photos on the wall.
- She just sat there, staring at the wall.
- She turned and faced the wall.
- the wall facing the door
- to stare at a blank wall
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high
- low
- long
- …
- build
- erect
- put up
- …
- stand
- collapse
- fall
- …
- clock
- light
- plug
- …
- against a/the wall
- behind a/the wall
- on a/the wall
- …
- 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.
- a solid wall of fog
- the outer layer of something 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
- Heating food breaks down plant cell walls so they can release more of their nutrients.
- a space on a social media website where you can share messages, photos, etc. with other users
- She posted a pink baby romper on her Facebook wall, announcing they were expecting a girl.
Word OriginOld English, from Latin vallum ‘rampart’, from vallus ‘stake’.
Idioms
be banging, etc. your head against a brick wall
- (informal) to keep trying to do something that will never be successful
- Trying to reason with them was like banging my head against a brick wall.
be bouncing off the walls
- (informal) to be so full of energy or so excited that you cannot keep still
- The kids have been bouncing off the walls all day.
be up against a brick wall
- to be unable to make any progress because there is a difficulty that stops youTopics Difficulty and failurec2
a fly on the wall
- a person who watches others without being noticed
- I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he tells her the news.
- fly-on-the-wall documentaries (= in which people are filmed going about their normal lives as if the camera were not there)
go to the wall
- (informal) (of a company or an organization) to fail because of lack of money
- Many firms have gone to the wall in this recession.
the handwriting on the wall (North American English)
(also the writing is on the wall, see the writing on the wall )
- (saying) used when you are describing a situation in which there are signs that something is going to have problems or that it is going to be a failure
- It is amazing that not one of them saw the handwriting on the wall.
have your back to the wall
- (informal) to be in a difficult situation in which you are forced to do something but are unable to make the choices that you would like
- We had our backs to the wall with no choice but to sell.
hit a/the wall
- to reach a point when you cannot continue or make any more progress
- We hit a wall and we weren't scoring.
- I’ve hit a wall with my marathon training.
- What do you do when you hit the wall at work?
off the wall
- (informal) unusual or slightly crazy
- Some of his ideas are really off the wall.
- off-the-wall ideas
these four walls
- used when you are talking about keeping something secret
- Don't let this go further than these four walls (= Don't tell anyone else who is not in the room now).
up the wall
- (informal) crazy or angry
- That noise is driving me up the wall.
- I mustn't be late or Dad will go up the wall.
walls have ears
- (saying) used to warn people to be careful what they say because other people may be listening
the writing is on the wall | see the writing on the wall
(North American English also the handwriting on the wall)
- (saying) used when you are describing a situation in which there are signs that something is going to have problems or that it is going to be a failure
- It is amazing that not one of them saw the writing on the wall.