gangway

[noun gang-wey; interjection gang-wey]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gangway ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a passageway, especially a narrow walkway.

Nautical.

an opening in the railing or bulwark of a ship, as that into which a gangplank fits.
a gangplank.
an area of the weather deck of a ship, between the side and a deckhouse.
accommodation ladder.

Railroads.

the space between the cab of a steam locomotive and its tender.
the side entrance of a diesel or electric locomotive.

British.

an aisle in a theater, restaurant, etc.
an aisle in the House of Commons separating the more influential members of the political parties from the younger, less influential members.
a runway in a theater.

a temporary path of planks, as at a building site.

Mining. a main passage or level.

Also called logway. the ramp up which logs are moved into a sawmill.

interjection

clear the way! out of the way!

Origin of gangway

1680–90; gang¹ + way¹; not continuous with Old English gangweg

Related formsgang·wayed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gangway

corridor, passageway, walkway, gangplank

Examples from the Web for gangway

Historical Examples of gangway

On toward the forecastle, where sat the woman alone by the gangway.
Poems
William D. Howells
They shook hands, and then the old man went down the gangway.
Changing Winds
St. John G. Ervine
"Hap yourself well," he had said when they crossed the gangway on to the boat.
Changing Winds
St. John G. Ervine
Juve propelled him towards a gangway: a minute later both were on the boat.
A Nest of Spies
Pierre Souvestre
They were standing in the gangway, waiting to be shewn their seats.
The Education of Eric Lane
Stephen McKenna

British Dictionary definitions for gangway

gangway

noun

an opening in a ship's side to take a gangplank

another word for gangplank

British an aisle between rows of seats

Also called: logway mainly US a ramp for logs leading into a sawmill

a main passage in a mine

temporary planks over mud or earth, as on a building site

sentence substitute

clear a path!

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

Word Origin and History for gangway

Old English gangweg "road, passage, thoroughfare;" see gang (in its original sense) + way. As a command to clear way, attested by 1912, American English.