archway

American

[ahrch-wey] / ˈɑrtʃˌweɪ /

noun

Architecture.

an entrance or passage under an arch.
a covering or enclosing arch.

archway British

/ ˈɑːtʃˌweɪ /

noun

a passageway or entrance under an arch or arches

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of archway

First recorded in 1795–1805; arch ¹ + way ¹

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:

archway

He tweeted a video that showed an armed man wearing a ski mask and a backpack passing under the brick archway of Nancy’s front porch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

In the foyer, beneath the Byzantine-style archway, he swept.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026

A metal archway gives way to a plastic A-frame board describing Floyd and the global movement that his murder inspired.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026

A model of his proposed archway stood on the Virginia state side of the Potomac River.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025

“After me, I think,” said Dumbledore, and he walked through the archway with Harry on his heels, lighting his own wand hastily as he went.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023