highway

American  

[hahy-wey] / ˈhaɪˌweɪ /

noun

1. a main road, especially one between towns or cities.

   the highway between Los Angeles and Seattle.

   Synonyms:

   interstate, thruway, freeway, expressway

2. any public road or waterway.

3. any main or ordinary route, track, or course.

---

highway British  

/ ˈhaɪˌweɪ /

noun

1. a public road that all may use

2. law a main road, esp one that connects towns or cities

3. a main route for any form of transport

4. a direct path or course

---

Etymology

Origin of highway

before 900; Middle English heyewei, Old English heiweg. See high, way ¹

Compare meaning

How does highway compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• freeway vs. highway
• interstate vs. highway
• expressway vs. highway
• parkway vs. highway

Example Sentences

Beutner’s daughter, a student at Loyola Marymount University, was found by the side of a highway in Palmdale in a “state of medical distress,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

From Los Angeles Times

If you went all the way down Yellow Dog Road, you’d connect with the County Road, a two-lane highway that brought the occasional traveler or salesman to town.

From Literature

But mostly I long for the open road, those forgotten highways where pavement runs through the quaint towns, weathered landmarks and the millions of acres of public land in the desert.

From Los Angeles Times

You don’t have to say all of this to your brother, of course, just tell him it’s your way or the highway for this lake house.

From MarketWatch

A bipartisan group of legislators on Capitol Hill introduced a bill in January to improve natural habitats for pollinators along highways, in part to strengthen agriculture.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• artery
• avenue
• boulevard
• freeway
• interstate
• parking lot
• path
• roadway
• street
• superhighway
• thoroughfare
• track
• turnpike