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
Only time will tell if the color trend will spread to other Chicago alleys.
—
Jermont Terry, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Twin looked down the rare building alleys, stuck her hand in sandboxes, found combs with missing teeth, unopened letters from Child Services.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Yet more squatters arrived, wedging homes and alleys into the most improbable gaps.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Witt thrives hitting the baseball into the power alleys at Kauffman Stadium.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026
The mostly flat course brings marathoners over ancient bridges, through medieval alleys and along the Arno.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Circle the City has five street medicine teams who provide care to unsheltered individuals in riverbeds, canals, alleys, and other community spaces.
—Maritza Dominguez, AZCentral.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Assisi’s grid of narrow streets, vaulted alleys, and stone stairways largely follows the town’s Roman origins.
—Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2025
The city may still enforce rules banning sleeping on sidewalks and streets or in alleys and doorways.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Jermont Terry, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Twin looked down the rare building alleys, stuck her hand in sandboxes, found combs with missing teeth, unopened letters from Child Services.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Yet more squatters arrived, wedging homes and alleys into the most improbable gaps.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Witt thrives hitting the baseball into the power alleys at Kauffman Stadium.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026
The mostly flat course brings marathoners over ancient bridges, through medieval alleys and along the Arno.
—Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Circle the City has five street medicine teams who provide care to unsheltered individuals in riverbeds, canals, alleys, and other community spaces.
—Maritza Dominguez, AZCentral.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Assisi’s grid of narrow streets, vaulted alleys, and stone stairways largely follows the town’s Roman origins.
—Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2025
The city may still enforce rules banning sleeping on sidewalks and streets or in alleys and doorways.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alleys
Noun
-
While Olympians in Milan walked into a packed stadium with flashing lights and thumping techno music played by a DJ at a turntable that looked like ice, the mountain ceremonies took place through the streets.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The uncertainty of the day led many businesses to close and kept many Haitians off the streets.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In Spain's southern Andalusia region, close to 4,000 people evacuated their homes as a result of the ongoing storm, and dozens of roads remained closed because of flooding and landslides.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The battery technology, aiming to hit public roads by mid-2026, could significantly reduce fire risks while improving performance in extreme heat and cold.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most highways close to Baltimore were down to bare pavement Monday, but some Western Maryland roadways were still covered in snow.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Traveling by car along the highways that succeeded Route 66 still presents a deadly hazard — much more dangerous than need be.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alleys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alleys. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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