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
Maverick’s invisibility should provide a way out of this — but alas, his pungent cologne immediately sets off Dogknott’s super-scent.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
His body, alas, had other ideas.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
The destination, alas, was only the Tara Downs art gallery.
—Emma Allen, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The mellow Meyer, (discovered by the intrepid agricultural explorer Fred Meyer, alas, who mysteriously died during one of his Asian expeditions, leaves his legacy in the divine lemon that now bears his name), has become a chef’s favorite pick.
—Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alas
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
His body, alas, had other ideas.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
The destination, alas, was only the Tara Downs art gallery.
—Emma Allen, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The mellow Meyer, (discovered by the intrepid agricultural explorer Fred Meyer, alas, who mysteriously died during one of his Asian expeditions, leaves his legacy in the divine lemon that now bears his name), has become a chef’s favorite pick.
—Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alas
aw
Interjection
-
In the north of the British Isles, people sometimes combined ye, a second person plural pronoun for you, along with aw, meaning all.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
16 July 2025
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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 30 Apr. 2026.
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