parking lots

Noun

parking lot (plural parking lots)

1. (Canada, Malaysia, Philippines, US) A designated area, usually outdoors and divided into marked spaces, intended for the temporary parking of motor vehicles.
   • Meronyms: parking space, parking spot, parking place

   Synonyms:

   parking area

2. (US, figuratively, humorous) A road blocked by stop-start traffic.
   • The 101 was a parking lot again today.
3. (especially, figuratively) A holding area in which to set aside some question or concern for likely future consideration.
   • Let's put this question in the parking lot for now, and we'll follow up on it later this week.
4. (US, figuratively) A place in a state of complete destruction, especially one achieved through military means.
   • America believed it had smashed Israel’s greatest enemy and turned Iraq into a parking lot, so now Israel could take risks it had never been able to take before.1992 April 15, Dore Gold, “The U.S.-Israel Relationship: Mounting Misperceptions in Washington”, in Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs