Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

alley oop

/ˌæl.iˈup/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.95 in modern English

Syllables: al-ley oop
IPA: /ˌæl.iˈup/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

Encouraging or calling attention to a physical performance, especially one involving an upwards lift or leap.

adv

Synonym of up.

noun

An instance of saying "Alley oop!"

noun

A high and arcing pass, catch, or move, especially (basketball) a shot made by a player as part of the same jump used to catch a pass.

American usage

adj

High and arcing.

American usage

adj

Involving at least a 180-degree turn.

American usage

verb

To lift or toss upward, or to be lifted or tossed upward.

Example Sentences

"I fortunately found a spark plug on the burn and got that repaired and alley oop!"
"He lifted her onto the verandah, crying “Allee-oops!”"
"Allez--... --oop! Beautiful! Great flip Mike!"
"‘Alley-oop,’ he said, and he lifted her out of her seat as easily as if she were a bag of laundry."
"Down with the starched collars! Allez up with the soft!"
"Rollie says... we should cut out our ‘alley-oop’. He says: ‘It's vulgar, that alley-oop. Every small-time acrobat says “alley-oop”.’"

Etymology

Borrowed from French allez-hop!, the cry of a circus acrobat about to leap. From allez (“go! let's go!”), 2nd-person plural or formal indicative form of aller, and hop, onomatopoeic.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: allez-hop

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌæl.iˈup/
British English: /al.ɪˈuːp/

Usage

American usage

Inflected Forms

allee-oops (alternative) alley-oop (alternative) alleyoop (alternative) allez-oop (alternative) allez oop (alternative) allez-up (alternative) ally-oop (alternative) alley oops (plural) alley oops (present, singular) alley ooping (participle, present) alley ooped (participle, past) alley ooped (past)

Synonyms

up get up! go on! come on! lob jam

Rhymes With

group tuesday group chat group loop soup matrix group ginger group locker loop troop scoop french onion soup poop

Questions

How do you pronounce alley oop?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌæl.iˈup/.
What does alley oop mean?: Encouraging or calling attention to a physical performance, especially one involving an upwards lift or leap.
Where does alley oop come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce alley oop

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “alley oop”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌæl.iˈup/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “alley oop”.
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