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• lane
  lane

  noun

  a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.
• Lane
  Lane

  noun

  a male given name.

lane

¹ American  

[leyn] / leɪn /

noun

1. a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.

   Synonyms:

   alley

2. any narrow or well-defined passage, track, channel, or course.

3. a longitudinally marked part of a highway wide enough to accommodate one vehicle, often set off from adjacent lanes by painted lines (often used in combination).

   a new six-lane turnpike.

4. a fixed route followed by ocean steamers or airplanes.

5. (in a running or swimming race) the marked-off space or path within which a competitor must remain during the course of a race.

6. a long, narrow wooden track that a ball rolls down in a game of bowling.

7. an area of interest or expertise that is associated with a person or group whose contributions or authority in that area are respected.

   Teen magazines should stay in their lane and stick to publishing articles about relationships, style, and beauty.

8. Politics. an affiliation or faction that presents one path to nomination or election victory for candidates who espouse that ideology or embody its ideals.

   The libertarian candidates siphoned voters away from the conservative establishment lane in the primary.

9. (in a MOBA video game) one of the major arteries on the map between the two strongholds in which the fighting between characters occurs.

   Our strategy is to push with a support character in the top lane.

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lane ² American  

[leyn] / leɪn /

adjective

1. lone.

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idioms

1. by one's lane. lonesome.

Lane ³ American  

[leyn] / leɪn /

noun

1. a male given name.

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lane ¹ British  

/ leɪn /

noun

1. 1. a narrow road or way between buildings, hedges, fences, etc

   2. ( capital as part of a street name )

      Drury Lane

2. 1. any of the parallel strips into which the carriageway of a major road or motorway is divided

   2. any narrow well-defined route or course for ships or aircraft

3. one of the parallel strips into which a running track or swimming bath is divided for races

4. the long strip of wooden flooring down which balls are bowled in a bowling alley

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lane ² British  

/ leɪn /

adjective

1. lone or alone

2. on one's own

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lane More Idioms  

1. see fast lane; lovers' lane.

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Related Words

See path.

Etymology

Origin of lane

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch laan “avenue,” Old Norse lǫn “oblong hayrick, row of houses”

Explanation

A lane is a relatively narrow street or road. Most country lanes never get backed up with rush hour traffic. There's the kind of lane that meanders through wooded, hilly countryside, and then there's the lane that's one particular row of traffic on the a busier road. This second kind of lane is sometimes just one of many options, like on an eight-lane highway. You might also choose a lane in a swimming pool, if you swim competitively or among many lap swimmers.

Example Sentences

Further signs that the key energy shipping lane is reopening could boost property developers, real-estate investment trusts and aviation-related companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

Forensic teams remained at the scene on Sunday, and one lane of the eastbound carriageway was coned off.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

At Intuit Dome in Inglewood, visitors can use “GameFaceID” to quickly move through a separate lane with their face as their ID.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

The mostly smooth ride was only interrupted when an oncoming vehicle veered into the wrong lane, forcing the car to stop suddenly.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

Instead, all alone, sitting upright on the rug, and gazing with gravity at the blaze, I beheld a great black and white long-haired dog, just like the Gytrash of the lane.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• artery
• avenue
• boulevard
• expressway
• highway
• pathway
• roadway
• route
• street
• thoroughfare