motorway

American  

[moh-ter-way] / ˈmoʊ tərˌweɪ /

noun

British.

• motorways
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• motorways
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of motorway

First recorded in 1900–05; motor + way ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

motorway motorways

Organisers of Saturday's demonstrations have set up a website showing more than 600 demonstrations planned across France, and hundreds more protest "actions" such as blocking motorway toll booths or service stations.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

A report published earlier in October set out a number of alternatives to a new motorway, and said the relief road could cost around £3bn.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Ministers have ruled out the black route previously proposed for the M4 Relief Road, although it is understood that the study could still include a new motorway south of Newport.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

It will also begin an 18-month project looking at a range of "roads-based" options for the M4, that could include a new motorway or expanding the Brynglas Tunnels.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

“Thank you, Michael,” Uncle Brian said mewily, “but I'm not really a great 'fan' of motorway driving.”

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Boelo will bring wet and windy weather across the whole of the UK on Saturday with poor travelling conditions expected due to surface water and spray on faster roads and motorways.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

But the gritty backdrop of late nights on English motorways made the league a perfect laboratory for Finch to experiment in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Officials argue that Moerdijk, which is on the southern shore of the Hollands Diep estuary, and well located next to ports, motorways, and existing overhead power lines, is a prime location for such a facility.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026

The major motorways that strike west from the capital bypass the county entirely; the trains from London Waterloo to the local station at Dorchester take a leisurely three hours.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026

Demonstrators, many organising online outside of formal representative bodies, have also used convoys on motorways to snarl traffic and tractors to gridlock central Dublin on occasions.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

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