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Synonyms

back road

American  

noun

  1. a little-used secondary road, especially one through a rural or sparsely populated area.


Etymology

Origin of back road

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

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:

I installed seat belts so I can put my 2-½-year-old daughter’s car seat in back for slow back road drives.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 9, 2025

In the end, on 11 December, I drove with a colleague along a back road to Nuseirat.

From BBC Apr. 28, 2024

The only drivable route near Camp River Glen now is a one-lane dirt back road.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 27, 2023

We follow McCormick as he travels down back road after back road in rural Mississippi, knocking on doors, talking in barbershops, hanging out in pool rooms, hitting dead ends, turning his car around.

From New York Times Apr. 17, 2023

It is the back road to the Sierras and the main route from southern California to Reno and Lake Tahoe.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

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