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hard shoulder

British  

noun

  1. a surfaced verge running along the edge of a motorway for emergency stops

"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

Example Sentences

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They say ambulances have been trying to get through but no hard shoulder!

From BBC Jun. 24, 2026

Dynamic hard shoulder roads permit traffic on the hard shoulder at peak times, while all-lane-running schemes get rid of the hard shoulder altogether, replacing it permanently with a live lane.

From BBC Feb. 6, 2026

Similarly, a £118m dynamic hard shoulder section of the M6 near Birmingham was meant to make journeys quicker for road users at peak periods.

From BBC Feb. 6, 2026

Constables Gordon Bremner and Andrew Blair, meanwhile, were in an unmarked Volvo s90 on the motorway when they pulled over another Mercedes on the hard shoulder.

From BBC Aug. 22, 2025

Benz came tearing in; his interference crumpled; he felt a hard shoulder against his knees, and the next moment hit the ground with a terrible thud which knocked the wind completely out of him.

From Over the Line by Sherman, Harold Morrow

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