alleyway
Americannoun
Usage
What is an alleyway? An alleyway is a narrow passage between buildings or other structures. Alleyway can also refer to a narrow path or passage behind a row of houses, such as one that allows access to garages and back yards. The word alley means the same thing. Example: We took a shortcut through the narrow alleyway between the shops.
Etymology
Origin of alleyway
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.
"We believe the suspects turned right after leaving the house and then ran down an alleyway beside the next-door property," Insp Dalzell said.
From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026
As he sprinted down an alleyway in April 2020, former Whittier Det.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025
The first-generation underground churches of a half-century ago met in houses and undisclosed alleyway rooms, gathering by word of mouth.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
She was the first officer to pursue the defendant down the alleyway.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2025
Then the three of them ran like mad for the alleyway.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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.
