fairway

American  

[fair-way] / ˈfɛərˌweɪ /

noun

• fairways
  plural

1. an unobstructed passage, way, or area.

2. Golf.

   1. the part of the course where the grass is cut short between the tees and the putting greens, exclusive of the rough, trees, and hazards.

      More important than long drives is keeping your ball on the fairway.

   2. the mowed part of any hole between the tee and the green.

      The foursome is now on the tenth fairway.

3. Nautical.

   1. the navigable portion of a river, harbor, or other partly enclosed body of water.

   2. the channel customarily navigated by vessels in such a body of water.

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fairway British  

/ ˈfɛəˌweɪ /

noun

1. (on a golf course) the areas of shorter grass between the tees and greens, esp the avenue approaching a green bordered by rough

2. nautical

   1. the navigable part of a river, harbour, etc

   2. the customary course followed by vessels

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fairways
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fairway

1515–25; 1905–10 fairway for def. 2; fair ¹ + way ¹

Explanation

The fairway is part of a golf course, close to the tee. A fairway provides golfers with the easiest surface for hitting the ball. A golf course fairway is distinguished by its short, even grass and location between the tee and the green. It's a fairly simple area from which to hit the ball. Another meaning of fairway shares this easy, effortless quality: a regular, well-known course that a ship takes through the water. In the 1580s, fairway was used to mean "navigational channel of a river," and it gained the golfing sense at the end of the 19th century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fairway fairways

The plan would make the Trump International Club in West Palm Beach -- where the 80-year-old billionaire often spends weekends on the fairway -- into an official sanctuary for his successors.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

It’s a serious question: LeBron, would you rather have another ring—or would you rather be able to get up and down like a fairway maestro?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The stately, 9,694-square-foot residence overlooks the 17th fairway of The Governors Club golf course.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

PGA Tour data from the Genesis showed virtually all the men played down the left fairway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

They laugh and play all the fairway games, and then I see them slip off to hang out near the football bleachers.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

The Italian hit just 26 of 60 fairways, yet his nimble work around the dried-up greens helped him take home his first major.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

And this week's championship on the parched fairways of Royal Birkdale offers surely one of the best prospects for this form of drought to finally end.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

In particular, he steeled himself during a third round when he kept missing fairways but managed to save par after par.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

Thick rough, five inches deep, flanks the fairways.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Only fifty miles from the limousines and exclusive tennis clubs and lush green fairways of Palm Springs, the west shore of the Salton Sea had once been the site of intense real estate speculation.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer