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

See Examples For:

aisle aisles

After an initial wave of backlash, the New York congresswoman’s videos of her fertility journey have generally been applauded by women on both sides of the aisle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Back in the produce aisle, the app has done exactly what it promised.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

As it stands, Mattel remains firmly stuck in the toy aisle, with the majority of its revenue coming from toy sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Defeated, the dementor drifted down the aisle and out of sight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

The middle-aged South Asian couple who had been seated across the aisle is standing between her and us.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

“We created this cookbook as a resource to help you find your way through the aisles and back home to your kitchen,” Kwon said in a release.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

One California pastor has even trained a robot dog on his sermons, and it trots his church’s aisles on Sundays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

Even on an early Tuesday afternoon in July, the brightly lit, bustling space hums with high energy as a lunchtime crowd of New Yorkers tightly navigates the narrow aisles with oversized canvas bags.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 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

I wandered the aisles, getting myself lost, asking people if Dr. von Braun was nearby.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• avenue
• corridor
• hallway
• lane
• path