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gangway

[noun gang-wey; interjection gang-wey]
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noun
  1. a passageway, especially a narrow walkway.
  2. Nautical.
    1. an opening in the railing or bulwark of a ship, as that into which a gangplank fits.
    2. a gangplank.
    3. an area of the weather deck of a ship, between the side and a deckhouse.
    4. accommodation ladder.
  3. Railroads.
    1. the space between the cab of a steam locomotive and its tender.
    2. the side entrance of a diesel or electric locomotive.
  4. British.
    1. an aisle in a theater, restaurant, etc.
    2. an aisle in the House of Commons separating the more influential members of the political parties from the younger, less influential members.
    3. a runway in a theater.
  5. a temporary path of planks, as at a building site.
  6. Mining. a main passage or level.
  7. Also called logway. the ramp up which logs are moved into a sawmill.
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interjection
  1. clear the way! out of the way!
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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. 2018

Related Words

corridorpassagewaywalkwaygangplank

Examples from the Web for gangway

Historical Examples

  • On toward the forecastle, where sat the woman alone by the gangway.

    Poems

    William D. Howells

  • "Hap yourself well," he had said when they crossed the gangway on to the boat.

    Changing Winds

    St. John G. Ervine

  • They shook hands, and then the old man went down the gangway.

    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.

British Dictionary definitions for gangway

gangway

noun
  1. an opening in a ship's side to take a gangplank
  2. another word for gangplank
  3. British an aisle between rows of seats
  4. Also called: logway mainly US a ramp for logs leading into a sawmill
  5. a main passage in a mine
  6. temporary planks over mud or earth, as on a building site
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sentence substitute
  1. clear a path!
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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

n.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper