motorway

American  

[moh-ter-wey] / ˈmoʊ tərˌweɪ /

noun

British.

1. an expressway.

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motorway British  

/ ˈməʊtəˌweɪ /

noun

1. US names: superhighway.   expressway.  a main road for fast-moving traffic, having limited access, separate carriageways for vehicles travelling in opposite directions, and usually a total of four or six lanes

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Etymology

Origin of motorway

First recorded in 1900–05; motor + way ¹

Example Sentences

On a recent ride around Hefei, the car drove itself through dense motorway traffic and around an underground parking lot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Three people have been injured following a crash at a motorway service station in Cardiff.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

She says there is always a "big long queue" once you reach the Newport part of the motorway.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

The pursuit log, obtained by the BBC, reveals how a police helicopter was deployed and preparations were made to deploy armed response vehicles had she made it to the M1 motorway.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Noon finds them picking their way through deadlocked traffic on a new motorway near Vaucresson, a full ten miles west of their apartment, as far from home as Marie-Laure has ever been.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr