alcove
Americannoun
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alcoves
plural
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a recess or small room adjacent to or opening out of a room.
a dining alcove.
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a recess in a room for a bed, bookcases, or the like.
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any recessed space, as a bower in a garden.
noun
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a recess or niche in the wall of a room, as for a bed, books, etc
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any recessed usually vaulted area, as in a garden wall
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any covered or secluded spot, such as a summerhouse
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of alcove
1670–80; < French alcôve < Spanish alcoba < Arabic al-qubbah the dome
Explanation
Chapels in churches are often alcoves. Picture one set off to the side with a vaulted ceiling, separated by pillars and a small railing. See that and you see an alcove, defined. If your bed is in an alcove in a studio apartment, it is in a recessed area of the room, separated by an arch or a half wall but not by a door. Think of an alcove as a sidecar to a room or even a cave. It's a separate smaller area that is still attached, but feels cozy because it is partially enclosed.
Vocabulary lists containing alcove
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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:
What I didn’t mention was that I ate the first quarter of my bowl standing up, at the bar top between my kitchen and the little alcove where our two-person table sits.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
It was a hunch that took her six years to see to fruition, but the library’s very own “Mold-a-Central” now sits in the alcove of the lower fourth floor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The kitchen is complemented by a breakfast alcove that is nestled into a windowed nook overlooking the back porch and the swimming pool.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
Throughout those months, he got to know the guy who frequented his alcove, the one Ed had warned him about.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
As I turn to leave, I catch sight of Marlena—she must have come in while I was in the alcove.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
A piped-in soundtrack simulates urban din, and latticed wood alcoves emulate storefronts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
Outside the San Bernardino County Government Center, there’s now a Curtain of Courage — 14 bronze alcoves, each curved like a protective wall and dedicated to one of the victims.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
My summers were spent oscillating between New Jersey beaches and the blast-chilled alcoves of my local library, reading about tornadoes, Greek mythology and Count Olaf.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2023
Set in a garden among plum and kiwi trees, the cottage has traditional tatami mats, shoji-paper and fusuma sliding doors, chunky wooden cabinets and tokonoma alcoves.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
They would sit in the alcoves of each floor reading to each other and eating sheets from the book of fruit leather.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
