right of way
or right-of-way
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noun, plural rights of way, right of ways.
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Origin of right of way
First recorded in 1760–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use right of way in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for right of way
right of way
noun plural rights of way
the right of one vehicle or vessel to take precedence over another, as laid down by law or custom
- the legal right of someone to pass over another's land, acquired by grant or by long usage
- the path or road used by this right
US the strip of land over which a power line, railway line, road, etc, extends
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with right of way
right of way
The right of one person or vehicle to travel over another's property, as in The new owner doesn't like it, but hikers have had the right of way through these woods for decades. [Mid-1700s]
The right to precede another person or vehicle, as in Sailboats always have the right of way over motorboats, and swimmers do over any kind of boat. [Early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.