alley

1 of 2

noun (1)

al·​ley ˈa-lē 

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

see also:

up one's alley

alley

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural alleys

: a playing marble

especially : one of superior quality

Examples of alley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There, sprinklers sprayed water across the track ensuring that our route, a coned course with tight, tricky curves and acceleration alleys, would challenge me at every turn. — Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Other perks of downtown living include morning strolls by the river, biking on the weekends, and impromptu basketball games in the alley next to their building. — Kelly Ryan Kegans, Midwest Living, 16 Aug. 2026

Some kids enjoy active parties, like those hosted at a gym or bowling alley, while others will be more interested in a dress-up party at a local salon. — Amanda Rock, Parents, 12 Aug. 2026

Having a long-time friend just an alley away became one of the anchors of our lives. — Birdie Horne, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French alee, from aler to go

Noun (2)

by shortening and alteration from alabaster

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1720, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing alley

• alley cat
• alley-oop
• blind alley
• bowling alley
• down one's alley
• (right) up/down someone's alley
• up one's alley

Rhymes for alley

• alli
• bally
• calli
• challis
• dally
• galley
• galli
• lally
• mallee
• mally
• rally
• salley

Kids Definition

alley

noun

al·​ley

ˈal-ē

plural alleys

1

: a garden or park walk bordered by trees or bushes

2

: a narrow wooden floor on which balls are rolled in bowling

also : a room or building housing a number of such alleys

3

: a narrow street or passageway between buildings