al
noun
Jump To:
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al
- Al
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AL
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al-
al-variant of ad- before l: allure.
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-al
-ala suffix with the general sense “of the kind of, pertaining to, having the form or character of” that named by the stem, occurring in loanwords from Latin (autumnal; natural; pastoral ), and productive in English on the Latin model, usually with bases of Latin origin (accidental; seasonal; tribal ). Originally, -al1 was restricted to stems not containing an -l- (cf. -ar); recent lapses in this rule have produced semantically distinct pairs, as familiar and familial.
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Al-
Al-a word in Arabic names meaning “family” or “the house of ”.
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al.
al.abbreviationother things.
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AL.
AL.abbreviationAnglo-Latin.
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a.l.
a.l.abbreviationautograph letter.
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A.L.
A.L.abbreviationAmerican League.
al
1 American
[ahl]
/ ɑl /
noun
Al
2
American
[al]
/ æl /
noun
Al
3
American
Symbol, Chemistry.
AL
4
American
al-
5
American
-al
6
American
-al
7
American
-al
8
American
Al-
9
American
al.
10
American
abbreviation
al.
11
American
abbreviation
AL.
12
American
abbreviation
a.l.
13
American
abbreviation
A.L.
14
American
abbreviation
-
Baseball. American League.
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American Legion.
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Anglo-Latin.
AL
1
British
abbreviation
-
Alabama
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Anglo-Latin
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(in the US and Canada) American League (of baseball teams)
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Albania (international car registration)
-al
2
British
suffix
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indicating an aldehyde
ethanal
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indicating a pharmaceutical product
phenobarbital
-al
3
British
suffix
-al
4
British
suffix
Al
5
British
symbol
al
6
British
abbreviation
Etymology
Origin of al1
From the Hindi word āl
Origin of -al6
< Latin ālis, -āle; often replacing Middle English -el < Old French
Origin of -al7
< Latin -āle (singular), -ālia (plural), nominalized neuter of -ālis -al 1; often replacing Middle English -aille < Old French < Latin -ālia
Origin of -al8
Presumed to be short for aldehyde
Origin of Al-9
From the Arabic word āl family
Origin of al.10
From the Latin word alia
Origin of al.11
From the Latin word aliī
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Both have pretty plants, chairs for al fresco dining - and one of the UK's busiest motorways.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Serving up heaps of fatty cabeza and sizzling al pastor, it grew to nearly a dozen locations spanning from Long Beach to L.A. to the Antelope Valley, drawing praise from prominent food critics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The findings were published in Physical Review Letters in a paper titled "Resonant magnetophonon emission by supersonic electrons in ultrahigh-mobility two-dimensional systems," by Michael Hilke et al.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026
Relatively stable and prosperous, Ghana has hosted American-led commando exercises aimed at helping West African countries combat a growing threat from al Qaeda and Islamic State militants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
She kept perking up her ears, catching little glimpses of phrases here and there and working them through her head. “...mata al sol anciano...cuando las sombras...”
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
The glittering star of the gala was former New York Gov. Al Smith, who had thrown in his lot with the plutocrats after a distinguished career as an icon of progressive Democratic politics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Al Fayed bought Balnagown in 1972 and also Sutherland's Falls of Shin Visitor Centre, which was damaged by fire in 2013.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Former defence minister Al Carns says he has turned down an offer to serve in Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates, was planning to build one of the world’s biggest artificial-intelligence hubs—and he had the financial firepower to do it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
He had scouts everywhere—the moment a larger circus showed signs of trouble, Uncle Al would get a telegram and race to the scene.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
In a crowded AL postseason field, Boston’s players were going to be among the most desirable assets on the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
His peers voted him as one of the top three outfielders in the AL.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Ethiopian Airlines Group ordered six 787-9 jets while EL AL Israel Airlines ordered one 787-10 and five 787-9 aircraft.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
AL JEER, United Arab Emirates—Oil tankers, container ships and bulk carriers shimmer all over the horizon to the left of the windswept beach here at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
In like manner PL − AL has the same value, so that PL − PL′ = 2AP sin α.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4 "Diameter" to "Dinarchus" by Various
It was the first such attack in Damascus since Islamist-led rebel forces overthrew Bashar al- Assad in December, ending 13 years of devastating civil war.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2025
This illustration from al-Biruni’s fourteenth-century history called al-Athar al- Baqiyah depicts the prophet Abraham destroying idols that were being worshipped instead of the one God.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
He has openly worried about the potential return of al- Qaida and instability in Afghanistan and criticized the deal then-U.S.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2021
Gen. Sami al- Aridhi, a commander with Iraq’s counterterrorism forces.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 7, 2017
His job was less flighty than that of district attorney, al- most as permanent and dignified as superior court judge.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
The names for aldehyde and ketone compounds are derived using similar nomenclature rules as for alkanes and alcohols, and include the class-identifying suffixes -al and -one, respectively:
From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019
Trigonomet′ric, -al, pertaining to trigonometry: done by the rules of trigonometry.—adv.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
On this analogy, -aille, -ail, -al, became a formative of nouns of action on verbs of French or Latin, and even of Teutonic, origin.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Sermon′ic, -al, having the character of a sermon.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Sycophant′ic, -al, Sycophant′ish, like a sycophant: obsequiously flattering: parasitic.—v.i.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
The former educational institute in the city of Al- Hasakah holds about 5,000 men - suspected fighters or supporters of IS.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024
Power often rested in the hands of local governors, who exploited regional tensions or weaknesses to establish their own dynasties and even their own rival caliphates, as in Al- Andalus.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
MBC Group, the Middle East's largest media company, and Al- Sharq News, a newly created television news channel, have also internally discussed plans to move to Riyadh, the sources said.
From Reuters ● Sep. 3, 2021
“Our main concern should be for this drought in Ethiopia not to degenerate into a famine,” said the humanitarian envoy, Ahmed Al- Meraikhi.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 10, 2017
I put my clothes on and came into the waiting area where Esther, Leslie, and Al- haji sat.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
Madison, Hamilton, et al. would wonder at our credulous view of human nature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Mr. Coffin et al. stage a colorful but uninteresting clatter of random mayhem, only occasionally interrupted by an ironic wink: “We are no longer evil,” announces Goomi.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
"Single-nucleus chromatin accessibility profiling identifies cell types and functional variants contributing to major depression" by Anjali Chawla and Gustavo Turecki et al., was published in Nature Genetics.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2025
CIF, City Section, et al., will see that his career is appropriately honored for his 50th year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2025
In a 2006 study, Tallal et al. suggest relationships between musical training, auditory processing, language, and literary skills.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
AL. šitim, šidim = idinnu is usually written with the sign GIM, Poebel, PBS.
From Sumerian Liturgies and Psalms by Langdon, Stephen
Projected videos of rushing rivers and roiling seas mix effortlessly with disparate photographs of human gender fluidity, which marks the people in A.L.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2024
McClinton, 59, and Devon Guion, 38, both lived at A.L.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2023
He went into play leading A.L. rookies in homers, RBIs, runs and was tied for first place in hits.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
Still, I studied Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe in graduate school back in the 1970s; remember when A.L.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 5, 2023
Mr. Pedro A. Paterno, member, whose work had been confined to the Philippine Islands, resigned in August, 1904, and was succeeded by Mr. A.L.
From Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission by Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
