alley

1 of 2

noun (1)

al·​ley ˈa-lē How to pronounce alley (audio)
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

alley

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural alleys
: a playing marble
especially : one of superior quality
Phrases
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

Examples of alley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Kids Bowl Free program is another goodie, with lots of Middle Tennessee bowling alleys participating. Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 1 Oct. 2025 Police walked north of crash and found the shooting scene in the alley behind a home in the 100 block of North Huttig. Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025 The co-op’s front door opens to an alley behind Kellogg Boulevard between Wacouta and Wall streets. Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 29 Sep. 2025 Officers responding to the shooting found Tome suffering from at least one gunshot wound late Tuesday night in the west alley of 43rd Street between University Avenue and Polk Avenue, police said. Jayne Yutig, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for alley

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of alley was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Alley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alley. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on alley

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!