# alley

Pronunciation: say "AL-ee" /ˈæl.i/

## Noun

1. A narrow street or passageway, often cutting through the middle of a block to reach the back of buildings.
   - Simple: A narrow path or street that runs between or behind buildings.
   - _Delivery trucks use the alley to reach the loading docks at the rear of the stores._
   - _Two alleys connect the main road to the parking lot behind the block._
2. A business or building where bowling is played.
   - Simple: A place where people go to play bowling.
   - _The whole team met at the alley for the championship match._
   - _Several alleys in town stay open until midnight on weekends._
3. The long, narrow strip of wooden floor along which a bowling ball is rolled toward the pins.
   - Simple: The long, narrow wooden lane that a bowling ball rolls down.
   - _She released the ball smoothly and watched it travel the length of the alley._
   - _Worn alleys can change how a ball hooks near the pins._
4. In baseball, the area of the outfield lying between two of the outfielders.
   - Simple: In baseball, the open gap in the field between two outfielders.
   - _A line drive split the alley and rolled all the way to the wall._
   - _Outfielders shifted to cover the alleys against the left-handed hitter._
5. In tennis, the extra strip of court between the singles and doubles sidelines, used during doubles matches.
   - Simple: In tennis, the narrow strip of court used only in doubles games.
   - _He stretched wide to return a ball that clipped the alley._
   - _During doubles, players must cover the alleys on both sides._
6. A garden or park walkway lined on both sides with rows of trees or shrubs.
   - Simple: A path in a garden or park with trees or bushes on each side.
   - _The estate's central alley led visitors through twin rows of clipped hedges._
   - _Lovers wandered the tree-lined alleys of the park at dusk._
7. A passage that runs between the rows of pews inside a church.
   - Simple: A walkway between the rows of seats in a church.
   - _The procession moved down the central alley between the crowded pews._
   - _Ushers guided latecomers along the side alleys to empty seats._
8. A marble, one of the small balls used in games.
   - Simple: A marble, a small ball that people use to play games.
   - _The boy flicked his alley across the ring and knocked two out._
   - _A jar of glass alleys sat on the windowsill, catching the light._
9. In perspective drawing, a passage shown wider at its entrance than its exit, creating the illusion of length.
   - Simple: In drawing, a passage made wider at the front than the back so it looks longer.
   - _The set designer painted an alley into the scenery so the corridor appeared to recede for a great distance._
   - _Renaissance muralists often used alleys to give flat walls the illusion of deep interior space._
10. In a printing office, the passage running between two rows of compositors' workstations.
   - Simple: In a printing shop, the open space between two rows of workers' stands.
   - _Apprentices hurried up and down the alley carrying galleys of set type._
   - _The crowded alleys between the frames left little room to pass._
11. A group of clowns, especially regarded as a single collective. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A group of clowns gathered together as one bunch.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–7, 9–11** — From Middle English aley, from Old French alee, the feminine form of alé, past participle of aler ('to go') (Modern French aller). It is a doublet of allée.
**Meaning 8** — A diminutive of alabaster, the material from which such marbles were once made.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/alley (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).