lane

¹

[leyn]

noun

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

[leyn]

adjective

1. lone.

Lane

³

[leyn]

noun

1. a male given name.

lane

¹

/ 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

/ leɪn /

adjective

1. lone or alone

2. on one's own

Word History and Origins

Origin of lane¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lane¹

Old English lane, lanu, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch lāne lane

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. by one's lane. lonesome.

see fast lane; lovers' lane.

Synonym Study

See path.

Example Sentences

That extended a campaign that had crimped a vital sea lane for two years and drew the U.S. into pitched naval battles.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The agents and their cars had blocked one southern lane on Vineyard Avenue and jutted into a second.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Attack a depleted secondary; one starter is hurt and two more were traded, which should help open the passing lanes for Herbert.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Their airport sherpas will help you avoid lines at check-in, escort you to a fast-track security lane, get you into a VIP lounge and take you to your gate when it’s time to board.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It drifted from the fast lane to the exit lane, and then it rolled down a ramp and into farm country.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

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