back alley

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.

Bickerstaff was referring to a time-honored tradition of Detroit basketball: Turning a hard court ballet into a back-alley brawl.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

In this country, before abortion was legal, women went to both reputable doctors and back-alley quacks to get care.

From Slate • Nov. 7, 2023

As a result, the illicit abortions that were once invisible — the back-alley abortions before Roe v.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2022

Created by company director Abby Zbikowski and dramaturge Momar Ndiaye, the choreography resonates with back-alley, “Stomp”-style energy.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2022

After the pathetic back-alley drama, I headed to Burton’s pharmacy, which had been the real purpose of the trip downtown.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx