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Definitions

back alley

[bak-al-ee] / ˈbækˈæl i /
NOUN
street
Synonyms
STRONGEST
avenue boulevard court highway lane pavement place road roadway route thoroughfare track trail
STRONG
artery byway drag drive parkway passage row stroll terrace turf way
WEAK
dead end

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

Moore earned enthusiastic praise for her turn as Elisabeth Sparkle, a faded star who submits to a back-alley rejuvenation regime to reset her career.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2024

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

Abortion in California was illegal at the time, so a family friend helped send her to a back-alley clinic in Mexico, she said at the time.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2023

Abortion was, and still is, illegal in Iran, but women were either able to find medical practitioners willing to perform one or would take the back-alley route.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi