alveolar
adjective
al·ve·o·lar
al-ˈvē-(ə-)lər 
1
: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli
especially
: of, relating to, or constituting the part of the jaws where the teeth arise, the air-containing compartments of the lungs, or glands with secretory cells about a central space
2
phonetics
: articulated with the tip of the tongue touching or near the ridge of bone behind the teeth in the upper jaw
\d\, \n\, and \t\ are alveolar consonants.
alveolarly
adverb
Examples of alveolar in a Sentence
The word “two” begins with an alveolar sound.
Recent Examples on the Web
The cause was a rare and aggressive cancer of the soft tissue, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, according to the organizers of an online funding appeal.
—
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
Rhabdomyosarcoma is more common in children but can occur in adults, according to the American Cancer Society, and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma typically affects all age groups equally.
—Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
Duong was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma last year, a rare and aggressive cancer affecting soft tissue.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 29 Mar. 2026
Ofelia Torres died last month from Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that develops in skeletal muscles.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alveolar
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
Rhabdomyosarcoma is more common in children but can occur in adults, according to the American Cancer Society, and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma typically affects all age groups equally.
—Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
Duong was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma last year, a rare and aggressive cancer affecting soft tissue.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 29 Mar. 2026
Ofelia Torres died last month from Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that develops in skeletal muscles.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alveolar
Cite this Entry
“Alveolar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alveolar. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
alveolar
adjective
al·ve·o·lar
al-ˈvē-ə-lər
: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli
Medical Definition
alveolar
adjective
al·ve·o·lar
al-ˈvē-ə-lər
1
: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli
2
: of, relating to, or constituting the part of the jaws where the teeth arise, the air-containing cells of the lungs, or glands with secretory cells about a central space
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
