freeway
Americannoun
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an express highway with no intersections, usually having traffic routed on and off by means of a cloverleaf.
-
a toll-free highway.
noun
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another name for expressway
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a major road that can be used without paying a toll
Etymology
Origin of freeway
Compare meaning
How does freeway compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A freeway is a busy, divided road with several lanes heading in both directions. The freeway is often to quickest way to get where you're going, unless there's a traffic jam or an accident slowing things down. People often use the terms freeway and highway interchangeably, and there's also parkway and expressway — or motorway, if you're in the UK. Traffic moves fast on the freeway, and its access is limited to exits that lead to and from smaller local roads and streets. There are no traffic signals on the freeway, but a crash or road work can sometimes bring traffic to a complete stop.
Vocabulary lists containing freeway
The Distance Between Us
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Land of the Cranes
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We Were Here
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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.
At the beginning of 2025, he posted a meme showing Barack Obama behind the wheel of Simpson’s Bronco, speeding away from cop cars on the freeway.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
Bass found support in neighborhoods along much of the Harbor and Santa Monica freeway corridors, along with central San Fernando Valley communities from Van Nuys to Arleta.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
The agency needs to “assess the entire freeway infrastructure” in L.A. to ensure that this week’s incident, or the 2023 fire that shut down the 10 Freeway fire don’t happen again, McOsker said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Investigators are continuing to probe what started a fire under the 110 freeway that shut down traffic near the Port of L.A. complex.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
I back out of the spot, my hands trembling, and head for the freeway.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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.
