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.
“This summer is looking very strong,” said Jamie Lane, chief economist at AirDNA, a vacation-rental research company.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
“He has not seen actual sunshine or felt the sun on his skin in years,” Lane said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
The comments echo ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane, who said last week that he continued to see a prolonged period in which inflation would be above target.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
Newcastle once brought in £2.8m more in match-day income than Spurs when the latter played at White Hart Lane in 2007.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
It was down Honey Lane in the angle of a jutting wall near Black Friars entry.
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
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.
