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expressway

American  
[ik-spres-wey] / ɪkˈsprɛsˌweɪ /

noun

  1. a highway especially planned for high-speed traffic, usually having few if any intersections, limited points of access or exit, and a divider between lanes for traffic moving in opposite directions.

expressway British  
/ ɪkˈsprɛsˌweɪ /

noun

  1. a motorway

"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 expressway

First recorded in 1940–45; express + way 1

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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.

Joshua, 36, was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a parked truck on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway, in south-west Nigeria, on Monday.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

Taking the Y4, an expressway still under construction, allows one to realise just "how much the city has eaten into the bush" that surrounds it, said Moustapha.

From Barron's • Oct. 21, 2025

As L.A. officials assess the merits of a water taxi system designed to reduce car traffic at the 2028 Olympics, the Games’ organizers have set their sights on another expressway.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

Urban renewal czars also cleared out lively urban neighborhoods from Boston to Los Angeles, and no major city was untouched by the urban expressway craze.

From Slate • Sep. 16, 2024

Witnesses say the car, driven by Andrew Jackson, 17, also of the Hazelwood team, had been noticeably weaving across the lanes of the expressway just before it hit a retaining wall and burst into flames.

From "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper

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.