runway
Americannoun
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runways
plural
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a paved or cleared strip on which planes land and take off.
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a similar strip on which cars, trucks, or the like may park, load, or enter the stream of traffic.
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the beaten track or habitual path of deer or other wild animals.
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a fairly large enclosure in which domestic animals may range about.
a runway for dogs.
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the bed of a stream.
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Bowling. approach.
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a narrow platform or ramp extending from a stage into the orchestra pit or into an aisle, as in a theater.
noun
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a hard level roadway or other surface from which aircraft take off and on which they land
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an enclosure for domestic animals; run
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forestry a chute for sliding logs down
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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:
We’ve issued a full ground stop at Miami International while first responders assess the scene after an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
Five people have died after Amazon cargo plane overshot the runway at Miami International Airport.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
If an election is to take place in Venezuela, a nine-month runway for preparation is likely to be expected, Abrams said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Over 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units are on scene of an incident involving a plane that overran a runway and struck multiple vehicles near Miami International Airport.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
I draw a girl on a plane, leaving her heart on the runway.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
The airport closed all runways and taxiways because of the incident and posted an update to its website Sunday evening that travelers should check directly with their airline before heading to the airport.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
The airport said all its runways and taxiways have been shut down because of the accident.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
But even if runways and taxiways themselves are clear, and aircraft are able to fly without any difficulty, passengers may struggle to catch their flights if roads, railways or car parks are flooded.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Now it is migrating from the runways and red carpets to everyday shoppers—and it’s not exactly going smoothly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
By following their runways she found seven nests and caught eighty furred young.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
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.
