Meaning & use
the Alamo
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
A former Spanish mission in San Antonio, Texas, used as a fort and now a famous historic site that visitors can tour.
Grammar: Always with the and a capital A: we visited the Alamo.
Patterns
- visit the Alamo
- at the Alamo
We toured the Alamo on our trip to San Antonio.
Thousands of visitors walk through the Alamo every year.
The old chapel at the Alamo is its best-known feature.
proper nounproper
The 1836 battle there in which Mexican forces defeated a small group of Texan defenders during the Texas Revolution.
Grammar: Used as the name of the battle: the fall of the Alamo.
Patterns
- the battle of the Alamo
- the fall of the Alamo
Schoolchildren in Texas learn about the Alamo in history class.
The defenders of the Alamo held out for about thirteen days.
Historians still debate parts of what happened at the Alamo.
proper nounproperfigurativeinformal
A situation in which a person or group makes a determined last stand against overwhelming odds.
Grammar: Used loosely as an image: our Alamo, usually with a possessive.
Patterns
- make a last stand like the Alamo
- someone's Alamo
The small shop's fight against the giant chain became its Alamo.
Defending the budget turned into the senator's Alamo.
With three minutes left, the team made its own Alamo at the goal line.
Common combinations
- remember the Alamo
- Texan fans shouted remember the Alamo before the game.
- the fall of the Alamo
- The fall of the Alamo shocked many Texans.
- defenders of the Alamo
- The defenders of the Alamo are honored with a memorial.
- battle of the Alamo
- The battle of the Alamo lasted less than two weeks.
- visit the Alamo
- Plan to visit the Alamo early to avoid crowds.
Word family
Commonly confused: the Alamo or Alamo Drafthouse?
the Alamo vs Alamo Drafthouse
This is a separate company, a cinema chain, and not the historic site. The Alamo usually means the mission in San Antonio.
Practice
The Alamo is best described as which of the following?
Choose one answer.
The Alamo is a historic mission in San Antonio, Texas, and the site of the 1836 battle. The other options describe other places.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the Alamo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.