lane
noun
a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.
lane
1 American
[layn]
/ 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
[layn]
/ leɪn /
adjective
idioms
Lane
3
American
[layn]
/ 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:
The vehicle has the zippy initial acceleration common to EVs, but its top speed proved too much of an inconvenience for others: a stream of drivers passed me in the left-hand turn lane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
This trip down memory lane is entertaining, but does it really matter if 2006 and 2026 wind up being similar?
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026
She’s been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and other groups that are newer to city politics, including Streets For All, which seeks to expand the city’s bus and bike lane network.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
But more may start sticking a boot into the passing lane in similar situations, given the stakes involved.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
A pretty little house stood at the top of the lane, with a garden before it, exquisitely neat and brilliantly blooming.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Medical safety inspectors described the site on Lister Lane as a "building site" and said there was evidence of people living there.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Speaking at a conference in London, Lane said the ECB had not detected “any noticeable pickup” in wages to date.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Emergency services had been called to Gas Works Lane in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, at about 23:30 BST on 4 October after reports of a van on fire.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
“For the past decade, Lane has been the best Right tackle in the NFL,” Kelce wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
“She lives in the house on Briar Hollow Lane. The only house on Briar Hollow Lane, all the way down at the end.”
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Tankers have repeatedly been targeted in key Middle East shipping lanes, with operators facing sharply higher insurance premiums.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Although mostly single carriageway with few overtaking lanes, it is a vital artery of the Northern Ireland road network and has more than 200 side roads connecting to it.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The statue, dedicated in 2008, stood on a concrete slab between lanes of traffic outside the Sacramento Youth Center in the 1900 block of Del Paso Boulevard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Depending on the size of the departure airport, they either go through the same security checkpoints as passengers, or through dedicated lanes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
On either side of us the cars hissed past; red on the left and white on the right, the lanes encased by thin metal trussing that stretched out from the walkway.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
