subway

[suhb-wey]

noun

1. especially British, tube, underground. an underground electric railroad, usually in a large city.

2. Chiefly British.,  a short tunnel or underground passageway for pedestrians, automobiles, etc.; underpass.

verb (used without object)

1. to be transported by a subway.

   We subwayed uptown.

subway

/ ˈsʌbˌweɪ /

noun

1. an underground passage or tunnel enabling pedestrians to cross a road, railway, etc

2. an underground passage or tunnel for traffic, electric power supplies, etc

3. an underground railway

Word History and Origins

Origin of subway¹

First recorded in 1820–30; sub- + way ¹

Example Sentences

Tyler’s stage was designed to resemble a New York City subway station complete with a train car that he climbed atop and herky-jerked his way across.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“It opened with a subway shot and when the screen went dark, she had a black light that showed up all the graffiti and I was like, ‘Who is this?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Her eldest daughter was robbed twice in the last three months, she said—in the subway by a man with a knife and by an armed gang in the shopping mall.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In Tokyo, about 180 miles from the epicenter, journalist David McNeill was in a subway station when the earthquake struck.

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A subway fare increase triggered protests through the capital and then the country.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• metro 
• underground