motorway

American

[moh-ter-wey] / ˈmoʊ tərˌweɪ /

noun

British.

an expressway.

motorway British

/ ˈməʊtəˌweɪ /

noun

US names: superhighway. expressway. a main road for fast-moving traffic, having limited access, separate carriageways for vehicles travelling in opposite directions, and usually a total of four or six lanes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of motorway

First recorded in 1900–05; motor + way ¹

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.

Some took exception to the Raising the Colours campaign last summer when English and Union flags appeared on motorway bridges.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

On a recent ride around Hefei, the car drove itself through dense motorway traffic and around an underground parking lot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

She says there is always a "big long queue" once you reach the Newport part of the motorway.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

The pursuit log, obtained by the BBC, reveals how a police helicopter was deployed and preparations were made to deploy armed response vehicles had she made it to the M1 motorway.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

I might be having coffee in a service station, staring at the motorway through the big windows, and my essay will pop into my head for no reason.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023