Definition of alley
plural alleys
1
: a garden or park walk bordered by trees or bushes
2 a (1)
: a grassed enclosure for bowling or skittles
(2)
: a hardwood lane for bowling;
also
: a room or building housing a group of such lanes
b
: the space on each side of a tennis doubles court between the sideline and the service sideline
c
: an area in a baseball outfield between two outfielders when they are in normal positions
- hit a line drive into the alley
3
: a narrow street;
especially
: a thoroughfare through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots or buildings
4
: an extensive region where destructive natural phenomena of a specified type (such as tornadoes) occur often or are likely to occur
- The most obvious tornado alley extends from the plains of northwest Texas eastward into north Texas and then northward across Oklahoma, Kansas, and eastern Nebraska.
- —Tom Konvicka
—
up one's alley
or less commonly
down one's alley
: suited to one's own tastes or abilities
- a job that's right up her alley
