passageway

American  

[pas-ij-wey] / ˈpæs ɪdʒˌweɪ /

noun

1. a way for passing into, through, or out of something, as within a building or between buildings; a corridor, hall, alley, catwalk, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   walk, path, access, passage

2. a corridor on a ship.

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passageway British  

/ ˈpæsɪdʒˌweɪ /

noun

1. a way, esp one in or between buildings; passage

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Etymology

Origin of passageway

First recorded in 1640–50; passage ¹ + way ¹

Explanation

A passageway is a hall or a walkway that connects one area to another. You might pass from a small museum through a passageway to an outdoor sculpture garden, for example. Passageways typically connect rooms or buildings to each other, and they're generally walled and slightly narrow. A passageway in a hotel might lead from an elevator to your fancy suite, and a castle might be full of stone passageways leading from room to room, some of them hidden in the walls. This noun is American in origin, from passage and its French root passer, "to go by" and way, "road or path."

Example Sentences

Iran blocked two Chinese tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passageway for 20% of the world’s oil, highlighting its control.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

The main focus for traders, he said, is traffic through the crucial maritime passageway, the Strait of Hormuz.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

The Strait of Hormuz has been a critical trading entrepôt for centuries, a passageway between the Persian and Oman gulfs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

The bus stopped at a checkpoint and the returnees crossed through a barbed-wire-lined passageway to the Gaza side of the Rafah terminal.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

They saw the Shield Charm break the flow of enchanted water as it flew up the passageway.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• hallway
• passage
• walkway