highway
Americannoun
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highways
plural
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a main road, especially one between towns or cities.
the highway between Los Angeles and Seattle.
- Synonyms:
- interstate, thruway, freeway, expressway
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any public road or waterway.
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any main or ordinary route, track, or course.
noun
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a public road that all may use
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law a main road, esp one that connects towns or cities
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a main route for any form of transport
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a direct path or course
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of highway
before 900; Middle English heyewei, Old English heiweg. See high, way 1
Compare meaning
How does highway compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A highway is a busy road with many lanes. Highways are usually the quickest route for driving between one city and another. Highways were originally built to connect cities and towns, and since they're wide and have high speed limits, they decreased the travel time. Highways are always considered public land, and they're usually maintained by the individual state. The Old English precursor was heahweg, "main street" or "main way." The word high has often been used to mean "main" or "major," especially when describing a street.
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:
Traveling the canyon on the two-lane highway through Wheeler Springs and Wheeler Gorge is beautiful but slow going, past houses and campgrounds as well as high rock walls that threaten to rain down scree.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
But fans might want to savor this one, because according to Vermont law, highway patrol mandatory retirement age is 57, the age the youngest Broken Lizard member hits this month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
The all-terrain tires undo some of this good work; the taller sidewalls mean more deflection in sharp cornering, a less crisp steering response, and a bit more tire noise at highway speeds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
However, significant damage has been caused to the highway, with mud, silt, debris and other obstructions continuing to block access, and also ongoing safety concerns relating to both the road and the surrounding embankments.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Finally, we pull into a motel parking lot right off the highway.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
"The problem that we've got now is that a parking ticket is not really a deterrent," says Rob Lewis, a senior manager at Cumberland Council's highways department.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
The council confirmed that officers from highways, flood risk management, transport, waste management and housing attended the scene on Thursday afternoon and evening.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Seven interstate highways run through Tennessee, and six of the United States’ class 1 rail lines operate there, allowing companies to cut transportation costs dramatically.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
The focus group, so to speak, had been found over a short period between 1984-85, usually near interstate highways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
He doesn’t have any quiet little streets or parks; it’s highways and a grid, and no rivers either.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
