concourse
KAHN-kors
/ˈkɑːnkɔːrs/
A large open hall or hallway in a public building, especially an airport, where crowds gather or pass through to gates.
Emphasizes the wide, open hallway lined with shops, dining, and departure gates inside a terminal.
The story behind the word. Formed from Latin 'con-' (together) and 'currere' (to run). It originally described a place where large crowds naturally flock or run together.
Word relationships
- hallway: Hallway is generic and much narrower than an airport concourse.
- atrium: An atrium focuses on vertical open space with glass skylights, not passenger flow.
Commonly confused with
- terminal: The terminal is the entire outer facility; the concourse is an interior hall connecting gates.
Collocations
- main concourse
- departure concourse
- airport concourse
- crowded concourse
Example sentences
- "Travellers strolled along the central concourse while waiting for their departure gate numbers to appear on the monitors." Airport announcements
- "Concourse B features duty-free shopping, luxury lounges, and gates 10 through 35." Facility guide
Memory hook
Concourse = Concurrent courses of people walking together through a central hall. Where all paths run together inside the terminal.
When not to use
Do not use to describe the outdoor airfield or aircraft parking areas.
Fun facts
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport has seven parallel concourses connected by an underground plane train.
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