ALACK Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com Featured Games Cultural Writing tips Dictionary.com Thesaurus.com American British Etymology Examples alack American   [uh-lak] / əˈlæk / Also alackaday interjection Archaic. (used as an exclamation of sorrow, regret, or dismay.) alack British   / əˈlæk, əˈlækəˌdeɪ / interjection an archaic or poetic word for alas "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 Etymology Origin of alack Presumably ah + lack. Cf. aha, ahem, alas 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. See Examples For: alack Oxford I sing, though in untutored tones, alack! From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2014 But alas and alack he is stopped by a force that is driving him back, not by years but hundreds of years. From Time Magazine Archive Excerpt from the latter: We're the lonely men of Harvard; Alone, alas, alone, alack, are we! From Time Magazine Archive You're a silly chick, my dear, That's quite as plain, alack! From Caricature and Other Comic Art in all Times and many Lands. by Parton, James There are, alas and alack, a few things they would have hidden, had they only known what was in store for them. From Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Vehling, Joseph Dommers Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023 Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Word of the Day conspectus [kuhn-spek-tuhs] Get the Word of the Day Over 500,000 expert-authored dictionary and thesaurus entries Entry list Careers Contact us Help Cookies, terms & privacy IXL Learning's Dictionary Media Group reaches over 500,000,000 learners each year Essential reference for synonyms and antonyms Adaptive learning for English vocabulary Fun daily word games English dictionary and learning for Spanish speakers Spanish-English dictionary, translator, and learning French-English dictionary, translator, and learning Immersive learning for 25 languages Comprehensive K-12 personalized learning Marketplace for millions of educator-created resources 35,000+ worksheets, games, and lesson plans Fun educational games for kids Trusted tutors for 300+ subjects Math games and learning resources for kids © 2026 Dictionary Media Group, Inc., a division of IXL Learning by dictionary.com Dictionary.com's Learning Companion Go beyond just looking up words. Remember them forever with VocabTrainer. Start training