bowling alley

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bowling alley ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a long, narrow wooden lane or alley, for the game of tenpins.

a building or enclosed area containing a number of such lanes or alleys.

Nearby words

bowler, bowles, bowlful, bowline, bowling, bowling alley, bowling bag, bowling ball, bowling crease, bowling green, bowling on the green

Origin of bowling alley

First recorded in 1545–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bowling alley

Then some one who had seen the prisoner taken to the bowling-alley shouted the tidings.
When the West Was Young|Frederick R. Bechdolt
The bowling-alley was a failure as a bowling-alley, but as a picture gallery it was a great success.
An American Girl in Munich|Mabel W. Daniels
His quarter's wages were in his pocket, and he slapped the wad with satisfaction as he sauntered off to the bowling-alley.
Satan Sanderson|Hallie Erminie Rives
The rolling on the bowling-alley never leaves off for ten consecutive minutes at any time during the entire twenty-four hours.
The Shirley Letters from California Mines in 1851-52|Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe

There is a bowling-alley on the island, at which some of the young fishermen were rolling.
Passages From The American Notebooks, Volume 2|Nathaniel Hawthorne

British Dictionary definitions for bowling alley

bowling alley

noun

a long narrow wooden lane down which the ball is rolled in tenpin bowling
a similar lane or alley, usually with raised sides, for playing skittles (ninepins)

a building having several lanes for tenpin bowling

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