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 Konvickasee also up one's alley
Examples of alley in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Dec. 2025
Sorry, Baby is extremely up my alley, a deeply moving, highly empathetic story of overcoming trauma, laced with pitch-black humor.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025
Boucle armchairs, layered sofas, jute rugs—if these features sound appealing, then warm minimalism might be right up your alley.
—Shagun Khare, Martha Stewart, 29 Dec. 2025
One of the most unique off-mountain offerings in Winter Park takes place at The Foundry Cinema & Bowl, a bowling-alley-slash-movie-theater that also has a restaurant and bar.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alley
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Noun
In October 2024, Executive Strike and Spare announced that the bowling alley would close after a decision from the Kentucky State Fair Board, according to a Facebook post.
—Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Dec. 2025
Sorry, Baby is extremely up my alley, a deeply moving, highly empathetic story of overcoming trauma, laced with pitch-black humor.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025
Boucle armchairs, layered sofas, jute rugs—if these features sound appealing, then warm minimalism might be right up your alley.
—Shagun Khare, Martha Stewart, 29 Dec. 2025
One of the most unique off-mountain offerings in Winter Park takes place at The Foundry Cinema & Bowl, a bowling-alley-slash-movie-theater that also has a restaurant and bar.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alley
Cite this Entry
“Alley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alley. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.
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