expressway

American  

[ik-spres-wey] / ɪkˈsprɛsˌweɪ /

noun

1. a highway especially planned for high-speed traffic, usually having few if any intersections, limited points of access or exit, and a divider between lanes for traffic moving in opposite directions.

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expressway British  

/ ɪkˈsprɛsˌweɪ /

noun

1. a motorway

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Etymology

Origin of expressway

First recorded in 1940–45; express + way ¹

Compare meaning

How does expressway compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• expressway vs. highway

Example Sentences

This bold diagonal, cut through the prim Quaker street grid, produced a great many awkwardly shaped blocks, including the pointy trapezoid between the Parkway and the Vine Street Expressway that houses Calder Gardens.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 24, 2025

A classic example was the Van Wyck Expressway, which Moses built in Queens in 1950.

From Slate • Aug. 28, 2024

Expressway traffic is especially heavy across China with the start of a five-day national holiday on Wednesday.

From New York Times • May 1, 2024

In Sonoma County, a tree early Sunday fell onto a home; in Palo Alto, a massive tree blocked the eastbound lanes of the Oregon Expressway.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2024

Once we're on the Kennedy Expressway, we start talking again and work out the rest of the plan.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

Related Words

• freeway
• interstate
• superhighway
• turnpike