runway
Americannoun
-
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.
-
a narrow platform or ramp extending from a stage into the orchestra pit or into an aisle, as in a theater.
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 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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of runway
Explanation
A runway could be for an airplane or a fashion model. It’s the strip of land a plane uses to take off and land on, or a narrow platform that a model uses to show off the latest fashions. A plane needs a runway of a certain length in order to gather enough speed to take off, and it likewise needs a long enough runway when it lands to slow down and come to a safe stop. Even the very shortest runways are more than 800 feet long — and the world's longest runway, at California's Edwards Air Force Base, is nearly 40,000 feet long. The original meaning of runway was "usual track of an animal."
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:
Set against a backdrop of vines and beanstalks, a model even took to the runway holding a book of fairy tales once owned by Coco Chanel.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
As the runway progressed, each look appeared more and more elaborate - with intricate beading and ethereal like draping on skirts and dresses.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
They saw an opportunity to give Alfonzo some runway behind Dalton Rushing, with starting catcher Will Smith’s stay on the injured list expected to extend through the All-Star break.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Its plan to grow its fleet to 128 aircraft by end-2028 from 80 at end-2025 provides a visible multiyear earnings growth runway, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
He turned the steering wheel and yelled out as the Jeep spun across the runway, behind the plane.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
The SUV drove me through an airport security gate and wended its way past rows of planes and runways before dropping me alongside the American Airlines 737 taking me to Phoenix.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
A number of flights were diverted from Gatwick airport after a plane temporarily blocked one of its runways.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The Houthis' al-Masirah TV said the "departure and landing runways" were targeted.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
As investors no longer expect the Federal Reserve to keep raising rates aggressively, they have become more willing to pay for companies with long growth runways.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
The night bombers didn’t need paved surfaces or even runways; the pilots just pointed their planes into the wind and took off from the dirt or the grass.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
