Jump To:

• lane
  lane

  noun

  a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.
• Lane
  Lane

  noun

  a male given name.

lane

¹ American  

[layn] / leɪn /

noun

• lanes
  plural

1. a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.

   Synonyms:

   alley

2. any narrow or well-defined passage, track, channel, or course.

3. a longitudinally marked part of a highway wide enough to accommodate one vehicle, often set off from adjacent lanes by painted lines (often used in combination).

   a new six-lane turnpike.

4. a fixed route followed by ocean steamers or airplanes.

5. (in a running or swimming race) the marked-off space or path within which a competitor must remain during the course of a race.

6. a long, narrow wooden track that a ball rolls down in a game of bowling.

7. an area of interest or expertise that is associated with a person or group whose contributions or authority in that area are respected.

   Teen magazines should stay in their lane and stick to publishing articles about relationships, style, and beauty.

8. Politics. an affiliation or faction that presents one path to nomination or election victory for candidates who espouse that ideology or embody its ideals.

   The libertarian candidates siphoned voters away from the conservative establishment lane in the primary.

9. (in a MOBA video game) one of the major arteries on the map between the two strongholds in which the fighting between characters occurs.

   Our strategy is to push with a support character in the top lane.

---

lane ² American  

[layn] / leɪn /

adjective

1. lone.

---

idioms

1. by one's lane. lonesome.

Lane ³ American  

[layn] / leɪn /

noun

1. a male given name.

---

lane ¹ British  

/ leɪn /

noun

1. 1. a narrow road or way between buildings, hedges, fences, etc

   2. ( capital as part of a street name )

      Drury Lane

2. 1. any of the parallel strips into which the carriageway of a major road or motorway is divided

   2. any narrow well-defined route or course for ships or aircraft

3. one of the parallel strips into which a running track or swimming bath is divided for races

4. the long strip of wooden flooring down which balls are bowled in a bowling alley

---

lane ² British  

/ leɪn /

adjective

1. lone or alone

2. on one's own

---

lane More Idioms  

1. see fast lane; lovers' lane.

---

Synonym Usage

See path.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lanes
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of lane

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch laan “avenue,” Old Norse lǫn “oblong hayrick, row of houses”

---

Explanation

A lane is a relatively narrow street or road. Most country lanes never get backed up with rush hour traffic. There's the kind of lane that meanders through wooded, hilly countryside, and then there's the lane that's one particular row of traffic on the a busier road. This second kind of lane is sometimes just one of many options, like on an eight-lane highway. You might also choose a lane in a swimming pool, if you swim competitively or among many lap swimmers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lane Lane lanes

Richardson then drove off before stopping in a country lane and twice getting out of the vehicle in attempts to pull Mr Mullins free, the jury was told.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Fifty-three of those restaurants included a Chipotlane, a digital-order drive-through pickup lane that the company said continues to perform well.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Faster lane speeds and the growing number of interconnects needed for AI data centers should continue to drive demand for optics, Daryanani said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

The two lanes closest to the cliff remain closed, with traffic routed on the remaining two lanes, with one lane in each direction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

We bundle up, sneak out the back, and slink into the little brick lane behind Morning Glory Cottage.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

NOTE: Daltrey is not responsible for the abomination that is “Squeeze Box,” that we have to blame on Ronnie Lane, who was enchanted by it.

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026

Detectives would be able to prove, via watch and phone data, that his car had stopped on Wet Gate Lane in Lymm a short time after the collision.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The studio has also started dipping its toe into the music business, formed partnerships with fashion brands such as Dior, and bought the off-Broadway venue Cherry Lane Theatre.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

But through journal entries from that time, narrated in the film by Diane Lane, the audience can piece together where the fear and the pride meet.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

At the end of Weavers Lane there was a vacant block.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Raman’s version of socialism has centered on protecting tenants, expanding transit and bike lanes, and bringing down housing costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

He referred to the rise of food security problems as a result of energy, fertilizer and agricultural products being unable to reach their destinations as sea lanes come under attack.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

The company said those drive-thru lanes “continue to perform well and are helping enhance guest access and convenience, as well as increase new restaurant sales, margins and returns.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

He told BBC Radio Wales that he remembered driving down Welsh country lanes in search of pottery when he was growing up.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Problem was, most of my pals lived deep in the lanes, and the fire alarms were on the main streets of Key West.

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• artery
• avenue
• boulevard
• expressway
• highway
• pathway
• roadway
• route
• street
• thoroughfare

---