a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.
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.
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
lone or alone
on one's own
See path.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch laan “avenue,” Old Norse lǫn “oblong hayrick, row of houses”
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Robotaxis weave through traffic alongside ordinary cars, while autonomous delivery vans glide along the inside lane as they carry packages to collection points.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
It is the lane for the investor who favors clean energy, fair labor practices and strong corporate governance while avoiding companies with poor track records on the environment and how they treat people.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026
Oil supplies through this shipping lane may already have exceeded ten million barrels a day, according to a US official quoted by the Bloomberg agency.
From Barron's • Jul. 5, 2026
His 7-foot wingspan was the best among guards at the NBA combine, and his 38-inch standing vertical and 10.46-second lane agility test ranked first for his position.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2026
We bundle up, sneak out the back, and slink into the little brick lane behind Morning Glory Cottage.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
