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Which of these is usually divided into aisles?

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aisle

American  

[ahyl] / aɪl /

noun

• aisles
  plural

1. 

   a walkway between or along blocks or rows of seats in a theater, classroom, airplane, etc..

   We were glad to get seats next to the aisle for that flight.

2. Architecture.

   1. a longitudinal division of an interior area, such as in a church, separated from the main area by an arcade or the like.

   2. any of the longitudinal divisions of a church or similarly shaped building.

3. the aisle, the divide or division between two political factions or parties.

   The Democrat reached across the aisle to form a bipartisan coalition.

   Her proposal was criticized by folks on both sides of the aisle.

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idioms

1. in the aisles. rolling.

2. walk / go down the aisle, to get married.

   Fewer couples are walking down the aisle these days.

aisle British  

/ aɪl /

noun

1. a passageway separating seating areas in a theatre, church, etc; gangway

2. a lateral division in a church flanking the nave or chancel

3. informal (of an audience) overcome with laughter

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aisled
  adjective
• aisleless
  adjective
• unaisled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aisles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of aisle

First recorded in 1350–1400, and in 1880–85 aisle for def. 3; alteration (with ai from French aile “wing”) of earlier ile, isle (with s from isle ), from Middle French, from Latin āla “wing,” cognate with axle; see ala; sense of aisle def. 3 derives from the central aisle dividing Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and in other legislative chambers

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Explanation

An aisle is a passageway, often between seating areas or shelves. Brides and grooms walk down an aisle at weddings, while you might head to the cookie aisle in the supermarket. An aisle is essentially a passageway between something. You have to walk down an aisle to reach your seat at a theater or concert hall, to get to your seat on a crowded airplane, or to reach the produce at your local supermarket. The ai in aisle is pronounced like a long i, so the word sounds like isle rather than ail.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aisle aisles

The guy across the aisle also came up empty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Forty years ago, Mr. Reagan reached across the aisle to work with a powerful Chicago Democrat, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Phoebe said she was told by staff to try and get her wheelchair through the train aisle, but it did not fit so she crawled through three carriages.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Patryk said that his favourite memory was watching his bride walk down the aisle to the sound of Flower of Scotland played on the bagpipes.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

I glanced down the long dim aisle to make sure no guard was in sight, then drew the Bible from its pouch.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Yet diesel’s rise hasn’t fully surfaced in grocery-store aisles — so far at least.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

I like to look up and down the aisles, and I like to fantasize: How did this happen?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

While browsing store aisles more frequently, shoppers are spending less per visit, according to Kiara Barrett, global head of thought leadership at market-research firm Circana.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

They turn up at weddings and kids’ birthday parties, in freezer aisles and bakery cases, at country clubs and holiday breakfast tables.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

When we find a store called Paper Tokyo, we walk down separate aisles that stop right below our chins.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

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