as in boo
used to express sorrow or distress
Juliet's pitiful lament, "alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead!"
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Recent Examples of alas
Also, my Defensive Player of the Year above might not even be the best defender in his own family; alas, Detroit’s Ausar Thompson was ineligible after his recovery from a blood clot prevented his being cleared for the first 18 games.
—
John Hollinger, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Points that needed to be elaborated on more as the process went along but, alas, weren’t.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2025
Audiences in Vietnam, alas, haven’t had that chance.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2025
There are some questions in political life, alas, that can’t be fudged.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alas
John Hollinger, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Points that needed to be elaborated on more as the process went along but, alas, weren’t.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2025
Audiences in Vietnam, alas, haven’t had that chance.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2025
There are some questions in political life, alas, that can’t be fudged.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alas
Interjection
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Williams also recalled witnessing the Super Bowl crowd boo Taylor Swift when she was shown on the jumbotron cheering on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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Highlights include a costume parade (for kids and parents), a Purim story and boo Haman and songs.—
Linda McIntosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2024
Interjection
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Studies of fathers have generated some alarmist headlines over the years, and Hrdy has kindly collated them: no dad joke: fatherhood shrinks the brain; aw, nuts!—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harper's Magazine,
30 Mar. 2024
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And then … aw, just cue up the video player for the epic Francisco Lindor homer that won this thing!—
Jayson Stark,
The Athletic,
27 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Alas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alas. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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