lane
1 Americannoun
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a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.
- Synonyms:
- alley
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any narrow or well-defined passage, track, channel, or course.
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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.
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a fixed route followed by ocean steamers or airplanes.
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(in a running or swimming race) the marked-off space or path within which a competitor must remain during the course of a race.
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a long, narrow wooden track that a ball rolls down in a game of bowling.
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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.
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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.
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(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.
adjective
idioms
noun
noun
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a narrow road or way between buildings, hedges, fences, etc
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( capital as part of a street name )
Drury Lane
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any of the parallel strips into which the carriageway of a major road or motorway is divided
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any narrow well-defined route or course for ships or aircraft
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one of the parallel strips into which a running track or swimming bath is divided for races
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the long strip of wooden flooring down which balls are bowled in a bowling alley
adjective
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lone or alone
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on one's own
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Colbert took Cranston on a trip down memory lane, revisiting all the wild stunts the actor would get roped into during the beloved comedy’s initial run.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Therefore, we’re all kind of in our own lane, so to speak.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
It’s unclear when the vital shipping lane will get back to normal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
The denim maker said the amount of product it got through the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping lane that Iran has largely locked down, was “very, very minor.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 5, 2026
It landed down the road, where the lane was wide enough, and two crew members jumped out to guide Sue, Bruce, and Grant back to the helicopter.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
