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
Tom KonvickaExamples of alley in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2025
With either option, Arnold said, an alley behind the center would be completely fenced off and the park lights would be LED and be on a timer system to prevent light pollution late at night.
—Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025
Those instructions came from police officer Terence D. Sutton, who then chased Hylton-Brown in a car for more than 10 blocks, including down an alley with emergency lights and sirens turned off, according to federal prosecutors.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
The two teenage boys were getting ready to fight out in the diner’s back alley when gunshots rang out, KRQE reported.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for alley 
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Noun
According to investigators, Ilunga slipped a pink coat onto Blessing — the same coat mentioned in the Amber Alert — then led her into an alley where she was found by a citizen, bringing the search to an end.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2025
With either option, Arnold said, an alley behind the center would be completely fenced off and the park lights would be LED and be on a timer system to prevent light pollution late at night.
—Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025
Those instructions came from police officer Terence D. Sutton, who then chased Hylton-Brown in a car for more than 10 blocks, including down an alley with emergency lights and sirens turned off, according to federal prosecutors.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
The two teenage boys were getting ready to fight out in the diner’s back alley when gunshots rang out, KRQE reported.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for alley
Dictionary Entries Near alley
Cite this Entry
“Alley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alley. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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