road
Americannoun
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a long, narrow stretch with a smoothed or paved surface, made for traveling by motor vehicle, carriage, etc., between two or more points; street or highway.
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a way or course.
the road to peace.
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a railroad.
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Also called roadstead. Nautical. Often roads a partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor.
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Mining. any tunnel in a mine used for hauling.
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the road, the places, usually outside of New York City, at which theatrical companies on tour generally give performances.
idioms
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on the road,
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traveling, especially as a sales representative.
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on tour, as a theatrical company.
The musical ends its New York run next week to go on the road.
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started; under way.
We need funds to get the project on the road.
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take to the road, to begin a journey or tour. Also take the road.
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take the high road. see take the high road.
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hit the road, to begin or resume traveling.
We hit the road before sunrise.
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down the road, in the future.
Economists see higher interest rates down the road.
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one for the road, a final alcoholic drink taken just before departing from a party, tavern, or the like.
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burn up the road, to drive or move very fast.
noun
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an open way, usually surfaced with asphalt or concrete, providing passage from one place to another
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( as modifier )
road traffic
a road map
a road sign
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( in combination )
the roadside
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a street
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( capital when part of a name )
London Road
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short for railroad
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one of the tracks of a railway
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a way, path, or course
the road to fame
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Also called: roadstead. (often plural) nautical a partly sheltered anchorage
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a drift or tunnel in a mine, esp a level one
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slang to start or resume travelling
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travelling, esp as a salesman
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(of a theatre company, pop group, etc) on tour
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leading a wandering life
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to begin a journey or tour
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informal a last alcoholic drink before leaving
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of road
First recorded before 900; Middle English rode, earlier rade, Old English rād “a riding, journey on horseback,” akin to rīdan “to ride ”
Explanation
A road is a wide, usually paved path that's big enough for cars to travel on. There are some roads that are so long, you can follow them from one coast of the U.S. to the other. While some roads can be traveled by pedestrians, the word usually specifies a thoroughfare for vehicles, especially cars, trucks, and buses. The longest road in the United States is U.S. Route 20, which stretches from Oregon to Massachusetts. Figuratively, a road can also be a means to an end, or the way to achieve a certain result: "She's on the road to success!" or "He wasn't feeling well yesterday, but now he's on the road to recovery."
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:
Traffic collisions dropped precipitously in the aftermath of the 2025 Palisades fire, when the road was closed for weeks and then reopened with strict speed limits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
When crews arrived, they found the vehicle destroyed with metal and glass strewn across the road.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Garden hose in hand, Georges Clivaz sprayed water along a road leading to his property in Saint-Jean-d'Illac in Gironde as the blaze burned a few kilometres away.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Autonomous vehicles from Waymo and others—which in Austin include Tesla’s Robotaxi and Amazon’s Zoox—create challenges for law enforcement when they struggle to navigate unpredictable situations such as emergency scenes, construction zones and road closures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
He remembered thinking he should probably not go onto the human road, because nothing good came of venturing out there.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Many roads were closed and high-speed shinkansen train services were suspended in the region affected by Tuesday's quake.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The tragic accident sparked renewed calls for safety improvements along the 21-mile section of PCH in Malibu, one of the deadliest roads in the state, where 63 people have died since 2010.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Police may close roads, establish perimeters, kettle crowds, redirect traffic, block movement, and call those acts public order.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
A Police Scotland statement said Nethy Bridge residents were being directed to a dedicated respite centre at the Macdonald Aviemore Hotel and access roads into Nethy Bridge had been closed.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
They didn’t have to rely on the main roads, either; their loggers knew the network of private roads they’d built through the trees.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
