driveway

American  

[drahyv-wey] / ˈdraɪvˌweɪ /

noun

1. a road, especially a private one, leading from a street or other thoroughfare to a building, house, garage, etc.

2. any road for driving on.

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driveway British  

/ ˈdraɪvˌweɪ /

noun

1. a private road for vehicles, often connecting a house or garage with a public road; drive

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Etymology

Origin of driveway

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; drive + way ¹

Explanation

A driveway is a small private road in front of a house or garage. If there's no parking allowed on your street, you can tell visiting friends to park their cars in your driveway. Some driveways are only a few feet long, while others stretch for many yards to houses set far back from the public road. Homeowners are responsible for their driveways, including plowing or shoveling the snow that falls in the driveway during the winter months. You can also call your driveway a drive, and both words emerged in the late 19th century.

Example Sentences

And for three days my husband, our sons and I worked in the driveway of A Storage Solution alongside a hauler named Joe but known professionally as the Junk Juggler.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

In the small Long Island village of Massapequa Park, home to 18,000, American flags line streets bordering dozens of well-maintained residences, some with boats sitting in the driveway.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Our cabin sat on a hill surrounded by trees, so you couldn’t see it from the start of our driveway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

He, alongside the other influencers, congregated toward the mouth of Guthrie’s driveway, establishing implied borders with the assembled journalists a few paces behind them.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Any minute now, he would hobble out to his truck and come racing down the driveway to check on her.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• entrance