Tin Pan Alley

noun

: a district that is a center for composers and publishers of popular music
also : the body of such composers and publishers

Examples of Tin Pan Alley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Livingston’s musical style draws on ragtime, country-blues, swing, vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley. — Christina Mayo, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025 The folk hero makes a few elliptical appearances, along with the bluesmen, scholars, and Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths who shaped his legend. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026 Beginning with Tin Pan Alley at the turn of the 20th century, the music industry professionalized rapidly. — Time, 5 June 2025 As played by best actor nominee Ethan Hawke, Hart tries to ingratiate himself upon his former partner (Andrew Scott), but the room already reads Hart as a Tin Pan Alley dinosaur. — David Morgan, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for Tin Pan Alley

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Tin Pan Alley was in 1908

Rhymes for Tin Pan Alley

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Browse Nearby Words

tin-pan
Tin Pan Alley
tin pants
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Cite this Entry

“Tin Pan Alley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tin%20Pan%20Alley. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on Tin Pan Alley

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Tin Pan Alley

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