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

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

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

It isn’t the first time Play-Doh has attempted to peddle its squishy wares outside of the toddler aisle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026

But leaders on both sides of the political aisle need to start thinking about these issues differently.

From Slate • Jul. 6, 2026

An inside source told TMZ that Swift walked down the aisle to one of her songs being played on strings, and that the decor was described as "Alice in Wonderland meets The Wizard of Oz".

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026

For me, my favorite kid-friendly nibble lives in the frozen aisle: dinosaur-shaped nuggets.

From Salon • Jun. 28, 2026

I carefully got up and made my way down the aisle, never taking my eyes off her as she slipped out the exit doors.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Related Words

• avenue
• corridor
• hallway
• lane
• path