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.

---

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

---

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

See Examples For:

aisle aisles

The contemporary grocery aisle is full of labels, QR codes, lot numbers and assurances of transparency; nevertheless, the person pushing the cart is increasingly asked to perform the work of tracing the food backward herself.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

Gia shared how sad she was that her father would never be able to walk her down the aisle, while Richard talked about how he still missed his dad every day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Parton also said she had fans on both side of the aisle "and I don’t want to make any of them mad at me."

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Not long ago, politicians on both sides of the aisle were eagerly rolling out the red carpet for AI data centers, promising tech-driven economic booms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Standing behind them in the aisle, thirteen-year-old Owen Mackenzie smiled and rubbed his hands together.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Outbreaks of cyclospora are rocking every corner of the produce industry as many consumers avoid supermarkets’ fresh produce aisles and cut back on visits to some salad-heavy chains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Over the next four decades, the store became the country’s largest international supermarket chain, known for its kaleidoscopic pantry aisles, frozen seafood and neatly packed containers of banchan.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

Thirsty international sports fans gathered for pictures outside different Erewhons, wandered their aisles smiling, and, of course, picked up pricey smoothies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

However, as demand has soared in recent weeks some retailers began selling the cooling machines for £149, as Lidl did in its infamous middle aisles.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

But she weaved through the aisles, ducking to avoid the rain, and on the hunt for a peculiar plant that would most likely be hidden from display.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• avenue
• corridor
• hallway
• lane
• path