alley

alley — noun

1. a small street, often paved, that runs between or behind houses, shops, or other

1.nounB1
Definition

a small street, often paved, that runs between or behind houses, shops, or other buildings, usually too narrow for a car to pass through easily.

Example

Priya took a shortcut down a dark alley behind the bakery.

down + an alley (motion through)

Two cats were fighting over a fish bone in the alley.

Common collocations
  • dark alley
  • narrow alley
  • back alley
  • blind alley
  • down the alley
Synonyms
  • lane

    more general; can also be in the countryside

  • passage

    any narrow way, often covered or indoors

  • back street

    small road behind main streets, but usually wider than an alley

Antonyms
  • main road

    wide street with through traffic

  • avenue

    broad city street, often tree-lined

Grammar Patterns

down/along/through + an alley

Usage Note

Often paired with adjectives that describe the feel of the place (dark, narrow, quiet, dirty). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is between buildings in a town or city, not a path inside a park or garden.

Common Mistakes

We drove our truck along the alley between the two buildings.
We walked along the alley between the two buildings.
alleys are usually too narrow for normal traffic; choose a verb of walking unless the context is clearly a back service road.

2. a long walking path inside a park, garden, or large estate, with rows of trees,

2.nounB2
Definition

a long walking path inside a park, garden, or large estate, with rows of trees, hedges, or flowers planted along each side.

Example

Old oak trees lined the alley leading from the gate to the main house.

alley lined with [plant] on each side

The royal gardener planted an alley of pink roses for the queen's birthday.

alley of + plural noun

Common collocations
  • tree-lined alley
  • shaded alley
  • alley of trees
  • garden alley
Synonyms
  • avenue

    wide tree-lined road or path; alley feels more like a private garden walk

  • walk

    general word for any path made for walking

  • promenade

    wide walking path, usually by the sea or in a public space

Grammar Patterns

alley + of + plural noun (trees, roses)

Usage Note

Usually appears with the pattern 'alley of + plant noun' (alley of limes, alley of cherry trees). Distinguish from sense 1: this alley is a quiet, planted walk for pleasure, not a back road in a town.

3. the long flat strip of polished wood at a bowling centre that a player rolls the

3.nounB2
Definition

the long flat strip of polished wood at a bowling centre that a player rolls the ball along, trying to knock down the pins at the far end.

Example

Daisy aimed for the middle of the alley and knocked down all ten pins.

rolling a ball down the alley toward pins

The wooden alley had been freshly waxed before the tournament started.

Common collocations
  • bowling alley
  • wooden alley
  • down the alley
Synonyms
  • lane

    more common word in modern bowling centres

  • track

    general word for a narrow strip used for sport

Grammar Patterns

bowling alley (compound)

Usage Note

The compound 'bowling alley' can mean either the single lane (this sense) or the whole building where people go bowling. The wider venue meaning is far more common in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

We booked an alley for two hours on Friday night.
We booked a lane for two hours on Friday night.
when reserving in a bowling centre, English speakers more often say 'lane' than 'alley'.

4. in tennis or badminton, a thin strip running along each sideline that only count

4.nounC1
Definition

in tennis or badminton, a thin strip running along each sideline that only counts as in-play during a doubles match between two teams of two players.

Example

Anaya's serve clipped the line of the alley and was called good.

In singles, any ball that lands in the alley is out.

rule: alley = in for doubles, out for singles

Common collocations
  • doubles alley
  • down the alley
  • cover the alley
  • hit into the alley
Synonyms
  • tramline

    British term for the same area, often used in plural ('the tramlines')

  • doubles lane

    descriptive everyday phrase, less technical

Grammar Patterns

the alley(s) on a tennis/badminton court

Usage Note

Almost always used in doubles contexts. Often called the 'doubles alley' for clarity. Frequently appears with 'down the alley' to describe a sharp shot pulled along that strip.

5. in baseball, the open patch of grass that lies between the two outfielders stand

5.nounC1
Definition

in baseball, the open patch of grass that lies between the two outfielders standing furthest from home plate, often called the gap by commentators.

Example

Reyes drove the ball deep into the alley for a stand-up triple.

into the alley for an extra-base hit

The fielders were caught out of position and the ball rolled into the alley.

Common collocations
  • into the alley
  • split the alley
  • left-centre alley
  • right-centre alley
Synonyms
  • gap

    more common in modern baseball commentary

  • power alley

    specific phrase for the deepest part of left-centre or right-centre field

Grammar Patterns

into/in the alley

Usage Note

Mostly American sports talk. Subject of the verb is normally the ball or the hitter; common verbs are 'split', 'drive into', 'roll into', 'find'. The synonym 'gap' is heard at least as often in modern broadcasts.

Idioms

right up someone's alley

idiom

exactly the kind of thing a particular person enjoys or is good at, because it matches their interests or skills.

A puzzle game with hidden codes is right up Hannah's alley.

Teaching beginners to swim is right up Diego's alley — he loves working with kids.

blind alley

idiom

a way of trying to solve a problem or reach a goal that leads nowhere and forces you to start again.

After three weeks of testing, the engineers realised the new design was a blind alley.

Detective Park spent two months chasing the ex-husband, but the lead turned out to be a blind alley.

(right) up your alley

idiom

Something that is perfect for you because you have knowledge or interest in it.

That new mystery novel is right up Maya's alley.

Is this coding project up your alley, Diego?

Word family

  • alleyway
    nounB2
  • alley cat
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a narrow way to walk or drive along, but they sit in different settings. An 'alley' is small, urban, and usually squeezed between buildings — think of the narrow gap behind a row of restaurants where bins are stored. A 'lane' is broader: it can be a small country road bordered by hedges (a quiet country lane) or, in modern cities, a marked strip of traffic on a highway. A 'passage' is the most general; it can be outdoors but is just as often a covered walkway inside a building, a tunnel, or a corridor. A 'back street' is an ordinary minor road that runs behind the main streets — wider than an alley and open to cars. So you might say: 'A cat jumped out of the alley behind the cafe' (narrow, between buildings), 'We drove down a winding country lane' (rural road), 'A secret passage led to the garden' (enclosed walkway), and 'The shop is on a quiet back street two blocks from the main road' (minor road for traffic).

alley ↗lane ↗passage ↗back street

Common collocations

Nouns

  • alley cat
  • alley way
  • bowling alley
  • back alley
  • service alley

Phrases

Prepositions

  • down an alley
  • along an alley
  • through an alley
  • into the alley
  • in the alley
  • up the alley

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Borrowed into Middle English in the 1300s from Old French 'alee', meaning a walking or a place to walk. That noun came from the verb 'aler' (to go), which gave modern French 'aller'. The earliest English uses described garden walks; the 'narrow city street' meaning grew from the same idea of a way made for walking. Sport senses (bowling, tennis, baseball) all developed in the 1800s and 1900s by reusing the older 'narrow strip you move along' image.