lane
noun
a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.
lane
1 American
[leyn]
/ leɪn /
noun
-
lanes
plural
-
a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.
- Synonyms:
- alley
-
any narrow or well-defined passage, track, channel, or course.
-
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.
-
a fixed route followed by ocean steamers or airplanes.
-
(in a running or swimming race) the marked-off space or path within which a competitor must remain during the course of a race.
-
a long, narrow wooden track that a ball rolls down in a game of bowling.
-
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.
-
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.
-
(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.
lane
2
American
[leyn]
/ leɪn /
adjective
idioms
Lane
3
American
[leyn]
/ leɪn /
noun
lane
1
British
/ leɪn /
noun
-
-
a narrow road or way between buildings, hedges, fences, etc
-
( capital as part of a street name )
Drury Lane
-
-
-
any of the parallel strips into which the carriageway of a major road or motorway is divided
-
any narrow well-defined route or course for ships or aircraft
-
-
one of the parallel strips into which a running track or swimming bath is divided for races
-
the long strip of wooden flooring down which balls are bowled in a bowling alley
lane
2
British
/ leɪn /
adjective
-
lone or alone
-
on one's own
lane
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
See path.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It was said to have been about the same length as a bus before it began deflating in the world's busiest shipping lane.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“I know how to stay in my lane, do what I do and help this team win,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
During the case, haunting dashcam footage from the police patrol car was played showing the moment PC Harper confronted teenagers Henry Long, Bowers and Cole down a dark country lane.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Mediators said the main negotiators quickly embraced a proposal to divide traffic into an inbound lane near Iran and an outbound lane near Oman, The Wall Street Journal reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
She found the lane that led to the other village and trotted along it.
From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins
Plumbers, chefs, contractors, pool guys and landscape designers are becoming Instagram- and TikTok-famous, a piece from Lane Florsheim for WSJ.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Travon Lane, a Mob Piru member, had spotted Anderson in the MGM Grand hotel lobby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Hyde Lane has “been forced to surrender control over its commercial identity simply because Defendants have greater resources and a larger marketplace footprint,” the lawsuit states.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Filed on Tuesday by the band's company Hyde Lane, the complaint claims Netflix Studios and live promoter AEG Presents have caused "substantial confusion" among consumers.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Um—1873 Robin’s Egg Lane? In”—he bit his lip, obviously making a guess—“Liston, Ohio?”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Walmart is finally adding tap-to-pay options to its checkout lanes, after years of limiting contactless payments to its proprietary apps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
South Korea's Vice Oceans Minister Nam Jae-hon said the Arctic route was "bound to become an alternative" to Middle Eastern shipping lanes -- as geopolitical risks and technological advances make it increasingly competitive.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Bass campaign spokesperson Alex Stack said the mayor acted in response to widespread opposition to the loss of traffic lanes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Drivers sound their horns as riders move between lanes and even drive on the hard shoulder against the traffic.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Problem was, most of my pals lived deep in the lanes, and the fire alarms were on the main streets of Key West.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
