alley oop

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alley oop

/al.ɪˈuːp/ UK
/al.ɪˈʊp/ UK
/ˌæl.iˈup/ US
/ˌæl.iˈʊp/ US

Rhymes with -uːp, -ʊp

Where it comes from

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.

interjection allee-oops · alley-oop · alleyoop · allez-oop · allez oop · allez-up

Encouraging or calling attention to a physical performance, especially one involving an upwards lift or leap. I fortunately found a spark plug on the burn and got that repaired and alley oop!
Similar: get up!, go on!, come on!

adverb allee-oops · alley-oop · alleyoop · allez-oop · allez oop · allez-up

not comparable, rare Synonym of up. Down with the starched collars! Allez up with the soft!
Similar: up

noun alley oops · allee-oops · alley-oop · alleyoop · allez-oop · allez oop

An instance of saying "Alley oop!" Rollie says... we should cut out our ‘alley-oop’. He says: ‘It's vulgar, that alley-oop. Every small-time acrobat says “alley-oop”.’
US 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. Owens helped beat the Chicago Bears with a catch he made in the end zone;... a week later he gathered in an Alley Oop from Tittle for a victory over Green Bay.
Similar: lob jam

adjective allee-oops · alley-oop · alleyoop · allez-oop · allez oop · allez-up

US, not comparable High and arcing. I decided to go for the Alley-Oop pass. I knew I had to lay it in the end zone, high, and I just rared back and threw as hard as I could.
US, not comparable Involving at least a 180-degree turn. Do you know what an ollie to frontside 50/50 is? A stale-grab Madonna? A smith-grind to revert? An alley-oop lipslide?... They are all gravity- or death-defying tricks.

verb alley oops · alley ooping · alley ooped · allee-oops · alley-oop

To lift or toss upward, or to be lifted or tossed upward. K'Nine intentionally bounced the last shot off the edge of the rim, rebounded, dribbled between his legs for three seconds, then alley ooped to Darius.

Translations

Every language

intj interjection

Français	allez-hop
Deutsch	allez hopp
Ελληνικά	άλεϊ-ουπ áleï-oup
Русский	алле-о́п alle-óp, аллей-о́п allej-óp, алле-у́п alle-úp, аллей-у́п allej-úp
Tiếng Việt	a-lê-hấp

noun basketball: a play in which one player catches a pass while airborne and scores

中文	空中接力 kōngzhōng jiēlì
Português	ponte aérea
Русский	аллей-уп allej-up

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MLA

"alley oop." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/alley%20oop. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

alley oop. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/alley%20oop

Chicago

"alley oop." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/alley%20oop.

BibTeX

@misc{alley_oop_2026,
  title = {alley oop},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/alley%20oop},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}