alveolar

adjective

al·​ve·​o·​lar al-ˈvē-(ə-)lər 

1

: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli

especially : of, relating to, or constituting the part of the jaws where the teeth arise, the air-containing compartments of the lungs, or glands with secretory cells about a central space

2

phonetics : articulated with the tip of the tongue touching or near the ridge of bone behind the teeth in the upper jaw

\d\, \n\, and \t\ are alveolar consonants.

alveolarly adverb

Examples of alveolar in a Sentence

The word “two” begins with an alveolar sound.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ofelia Torres died on Friday at the age of 16 from Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the soft tissue. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 15 Feb. 2026

Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo, 16, died Friday from stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, the family said in a statement. —ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026

Simulation models also revealed that the particles tend to accumulate in the alveolar region of the lungs, the deepest part of the respiratory tract. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025

The smallest, what are called ultrafine particles, even slip through the alveolar capillary barrier itself, crossing into the bloodstream, and from there travel throughout the body, including to the heart, the brain, and the kidneys to initiate even more destruction and disease (see below). —Bill Frist, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing alveolar

• alveolar process
• alveolar ridge

Rhymes for alveolar

• bronchoalveolar

Kids Definition

alveolar

adjective

al·​ve·​o·​lar al-ˈvē-ə-lər 

: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli

Medical Definition

alveolar

adjective

al·​ve·​o·​lar al-ˈvē-ə-lər 

1

: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli

2

: of, relating to, or constituting the part of the jaws where the teeth arise, the air-containing cells of the lungs, or glands with secretory cells about a central space