as in streets
a narrow passage between buildings
One can spend days exploring all the alleys and backstreets of the old city.
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Recent Examples of alleys
The city’s old town, Bari Vecchia, is filled with narrow alleys, lively piazzas, and centuries-old churches along the Adriatic.
—
Megan Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 28 Apr. 2026
The occasional roars of delivery trucks and motorcycles that used our alleys to get around the traffic of the main roads, to cut through the city.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Hear a hundred different styles blasting from a hundred different porches, patios, driveways, alleys, frontyards, backyards, and sideyards.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
That means an entertainment license wouldn’t be necessary anymore for bars that want to host trivia nights, for bowling alleys and for coffee shops that have an unamplified live performer.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
People may experience temporary travel impacts and delays at side streets, alleys, parking lots, and sidewalks when crews are working.
—Brian Sherrod, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Bethany takes the explosive event as a sign to reunite with her old girlfriend Nel (Lena Góra), and carouse across lofts, clubs, and back alleys, leaving her erstwhile partner stranded.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Apr. 2026
In some buildings, the workers also clean, shovel snowy sidewalks and wrestle bins of refuse out of basements and alleys for pickup.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Most notably, Point Loma Heights and Azure Vista-adjacent Sunset Cliffs and Riviera Villas were large tracts with good-size lots, wide streets, alleys, smooth sidewalks and all utilities.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Megan Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 28 Apr. 2026
The occasional roars of delivery trucks and motorcycles that used our alleys to get around the traffic of the main roads, to cut through the city.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Hear a hundred different styles blasting from a hundred different porches, patios, driveways, alleys, frontyards, backyards, and sideyards.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
That means an entertainment license wouldn’t be necessary anymore for bars that want to host trivia nights, for bowling alleys and for coffee shops that have an unamplified live performer.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
People may experience temporary travel impacts and delays at side streets, alleys, parking lots, and sidewalks when crews are working.
—Brian Sherrod, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Bethany takes the explosive event as a sign to reunite with her old girlfriend Nel (Lena Góra), and carouse across lofts, clubs, and back alleys, leaving her erstwhile partner stranded.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Apr. 2026
In some buildings, the workers also clean, shovel snowy sidewalks and wrestle bins of refuse out of basements and alleys for pickup.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Most notably, Point Loma Heights and Azure Vista-adjacent Sunset Cliffs and Riviera Villas were large tracts with good-size lots, wide streets, alleys, smooth sidewalks and all utilities.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alleys
Noun
-
Relationships are two-way streets.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
Blackmon was part of a generation of Black Americans across the South who fought in courtrooms and in the streets to dismantle barriers to voting and achieve political representation in a region scarred by the legacy of slavery and its aftermath.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Orlando’s annual Corporate 5K race returns to Lake Eola Park on Thursday, closing several roads in the city’s downtown.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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In the spring, all is awash with green and swooped by swallows, and the many roads and hiking trails are beautifully edged with flowers.—
Helen Brown,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Here's your daily look at traffic on major highways in the Kansas City area.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
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Expanding urbanization and the use of traditional lighting of buildings, highways and residential neighborhoods are blinding us to an eternal beauty.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alleys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alleys. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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