runway

[ ruhn-wey ]

/ ˈrʌnˌweɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR runway ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a way along which something runs.

a paved or cleared strip on which planes land and take off.

a similar strip on which cars, trucks, or the like may park, load, or enter the stream of traffic.

the beaten track or habitual path of deer or other wild animals.

a fairly large enclosure in which domestic animals may range about: a runway for dogs.

the bed of a stream.

Bowling. approach(def 17b).

a narrow platform or ramp extending from a stage into the orchestra pit or into an aisle, as in a theater.

Nearby words

Origin of runway

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; run + way¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for runway

As they passed the runway, bullets shot up from the tall grass, puncturing a fuel tank.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I walked across the runway to the large hangar we were housed in.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Twice in the past two weeks, this has entailed meeting a plane on the runway to retriever sick passengers who may be infected.
Ebola Panic Is Worse Than the Disease|Abby Haglage|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That was when I started getting couture, kind of from the other side of the runway.
Tatiana Sorokko Is the Queen of Vintage Couture|Anthony Haden-Guest|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Trying to do it in a reusable rocket, landing on a runway, that system has a very bad track record.
Sky Wars: Richard Branson’s Rival in the Great Space Race|Tom Sykes|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The low purr of a motor behind him announced the arrival of a tractor to tow the ship off the runway.
Pushbutton War|Joseph P. Martino
He sets no more snares across that runway, for the rabbits have had their alarm.
The Story of the Trapper|A. C. Laut
The runway or yard should be as large as our purse will permit.
Outdoor Sports and Games|Claude H. Miller
Those steers just naturally follow along on up that runway and into the killing pens.
Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son|George Horace Lorimer
Bowers and his helpers were crowding the sheep up the runway into the last car when Kate rode up.
The Fighting Shepherdess |Caroline Lockhart

British Dictionary definitions for runway

runway

/ (ˈrʌnˌweɪ) /

noun

a hard level roadway or other surface from which aircraft take off and on which they land

an enclosure for domestic animals; run

forestry, US and Canadian a chute for sliding logs down

a narrow ramp extending from the stage into the audience in a theatre, nightclub, etc, esp as used by models in a fashion show

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

Word Origin and History for runway

runway

"customary track of an animal," especially a deer, 1833, American English, from run (v.) + way. Meaning "artificial sloping track" is attested from 1883; airfield sense is from 1923.

runway

noun

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Origin of runway

Examples from the Web for runway

runway

noun

runway