causeway
Americannoun
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a raised road or path, as across low or wet ground.
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a highway or paved way.
verb (used with object)
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to pave (a road or street) with cobblestones or pebbles.
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to provide with a causeway.
noun
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a raised path or road crossing water, marshland, sand, etc
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a paved footpath
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a road surfaced with setts
Etymology
Origin of causeway
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at causey, way 1
Explanation
A causeway is a raised road that crosses a body of water or very low, wet ground. If an island has a causeway, you won't need to take a boat to get there. Causeways are built atop an embankment, a heap of soil raising the roadway (or train track) above the ground. A causeway itself is made of earth, wood, concrete, or stone, providing a solid surface for vehicles. Ancient causeways were compressed by the feet of humans or animals, with layers of soil added until they were high and compact enough to be useful. The word comes from the Latin calx, "heel," from the notion of stamping down on the earth.
Vocabulary lists containing causeway
Aztec, Maya, and Inca Empires - Introductory
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Aztec, Maya, and Inca Empires - Middle School and High School
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The Early Americas and European Exploration, Lessons 1–2
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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.
A causeway was created so people could access the island and church.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
It being a little early for blackjack at the towering Beau Rivage, where I’d booked a room for the night, I instead crossed the causeway to nearby Ocean Springs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
Illustrations from the era show Malinche, serving as translator, as a prominent figure during Cortés’ epochal meeting with Moctezuma on Nov. 8, 1519, on a causeway leading to Tenochtitlán.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026
At the Auckland Outboard Boating Club, members were having a Wednesday-night drink when one of them noticed a Zodiac lying abandoned on the causeway.
From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025
Along the causeway, the two little boys marched on.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
