alcove

[ al-kohv ]

/ ˈæl koʊv /

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See synonyms for: alcove / alcoves on Thesaurus.com

noun

a recess or small room adjacent to or opening out of a room: a dining alcove.

a recess in a room for a bed, bookcases, or the like.

any recessed space, as a bower in a garden.

OTHER WORDS FOR alcove

nook, bay.

See synonyms for alcove on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of alcove

1670–80; <French alcôve<Spanish alcoba<Arabic al-qubbah the dome

Words nearby alcove

Alcoran, Alcoranist, Alcorcón, Alcott, Alcott, Louisa May, alcove, Alcuin, alcyonarian, Alcyone, Alcyoneus, Ald.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alcove in a sentence

They ducked into an alcove alongside the building, trying to block the young students’ view of the carnage.
At a Christmas parade, ‘Comfort and Joy’ turns to carnage and fear: ‘There were bodies all over the street’|Marc Fisher, Kim Bellware, Joanna Slater, Mark Guarino|November 23, 2021|Washington Post
Favorite with the yacht set, the oldest coastal town founded by Croats, Sibernik, is a delightful spot built in an alcove where river meets sea.
This Tourist Hotspot Is Open—and Blissfully Quiet|Lucie Grace|July 14, 2021|The Daily Beast
The room had floor-to-ceiling windows, and Rothko agreed to paint a triptych to fill an alcove on the room’s west wall, and two more paintings to face them from the east.
How These Rothkos Were Restored Without Touching the Canvas|Adam Rogers|May 30, 2021|The Daily Beast
In the alcove beyond the check-in desk, Sanchez and Diaz installed their gurney along a vacant stretch of beige hallway.
The Broken Front Line|by Ava Kofman, photography by Kendrick Brinson and David Walter Banks|April 7, 2021|ProPublica

As well as embedding objects in them, some had small, undecorated alcoves just big enough for a single person to crouch within.
An Ancient Site with Human Skulls on Display - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Jo Marchant|September 2, 2020|Nautilus
Portraits of the Rolling Stones and other easily recognizable stars populate the small, alcove-like room straight ahead.
David Bailey’s ‘Stardust’ Shows a Keen Eye for Fine Faces|Chloë Ashby|February 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Gwynne walked about the large old-fashioned room with its bow-window, and alcove for the bed.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
In a special alcove was a large number of priceless Fourteenth and Sixteenth Century editions.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
In the shadow of an alcove seat Maxwell stood with a small black envelope in his hand.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
Cheap, but pretty, curtains hung before the windows and about the alcove where the bed was.
The Light That Lures|Percy Brebner
They stepped aside into an alcove set with card-tables, and Susannah gazed away from her companion and down the crowded ballroom.
The Rake's Progress|Marjorie Bowen

British Dictionary definitions for alcove

alcove

/ (ˈælkəʊv) /

noun

a recess or niche in the wall of a room, as for a bed, books, etc

any recessed usually vaulted area, as in a garden wall

any covered or secluded spot, such as a summerhouse

Word Origin for alcove

C17: from French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba, from Arabic al-qubbah the vault, arch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

alcove

OTHER WORDS FOR alcove

Origin of alcove

Words nearby alcove

Words related to alcove

How to use alcove in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alcove

Word Origin for alcove