autobahn
Americannoun
-
autobahns,
plural
-
autobahnen
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of autobahn
1935–40; < German, equivalent to Auto auto + Bahn road, way
Explanation
A high-speed German highway is known as an autobahn. While there's no legal speed limit on large sections of an autobahn, signs advise drivers to stay under 130 kilometers per hour (about 80 miles per hour). The specific national system of German highways, generally referred to as the Autobahn, is officially called the Bundesautobahn, or "federal motorway." The word isn't capitalized in English when it generally refers to German-designed highways, which also exist in parts of Poland, Austria, and some other European countries. Germany's Autobahn is famous for not having speed limits, but that's a bit of a misconception: Drivers do have to slow down on sections that run through cities and construction sites.
Vocabulary lists containing autobahn
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:
During the Cold War, sections of the autobahn were designed so they could be converted to landing strips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
The FlixBus coach veered to the right on the busy A9 autobahn before falling on to its side.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2024
The youth movement is calling on the government to adhere to the climate targets enshrined in the Paris Agreement, arguing that massive investments in new autobahn projects should be stopped and redirected to low-emission alternatives.
From Reuters ● Feb. 28, 2023
With their actions, carried out with increasing frequency as 2022 drew to a close, they have attracted enormous attention in a country where cars reign supreme, home to BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and the autobahn.
From New York Times ● Jan. 2, 2023
Call me crazy, but if European lawmakers can let Ferraris drive on city roads before turning them loose on the autobahn, you’d think they could do the same for fast e-bikes on speed-enforced bike lanes.
From The Verge ● Oct. 12, 2021
About the only lasting memento is the 1,800 miles of modern autobahnen Hitler built, but even these highways have been broadened, resurfaced and extended beyond recognition.
From Time Magazine Archive
A seamless grid of autobahns and high speed rail linking a transnational union no longer scarred by checkpoints and exit visas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Step by step: first we tackle driving at level three or level four on open highways — German autobahns — and then we get into more complex areas.
From The Verge ● Jan. 18, 2022
“Our autobahns are no worse than Germany’s,” he said.
From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2021
I miss getting in the truck after a race in Winterberg, Germany, and knowing the autobahns so well that I could get from Winterberg to Altenberg, which is six hours away, without a map.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2021
The Interstate Highway Act brought autobahns to the United States and became the largest public works project in the nation’s history, building 46,000 miles of road with more than $130 billion of federal money.
From "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" by Eric Schlosser
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
