subway

American  

[suhb-way] / ˈsʌbˌweɪ /

noun

• subways
  plural

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.

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verb (used without object)

1. to be transported by a subway.

   We subwayed uptown.

subway British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• subways
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of subway

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

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Explanation

An underground transportation system on rails is called a subway. New York City's subway system has more stations than any other subway in the world. In most large cities, the subway is a good way to get where you need to go. Subways have many different local names, from the BART in San Francisco to the Métro in Paris to the U-Bahn in Berlin. Before subway came to mean "underground railway," it meant "underground passage for water pipes." And if you ask where the subway is in London, you'll be directed to an underground walkway, which is what subway means in the U.K.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subway subways

Those points might represent cities, PCs, subway stations, or organs, while the connections could stand for highways, cables, railway lines, or blood vessels.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

It was walking distance from the subway and had a lovely if nonfunctional fireplace, and when the baby bunnies nested in our herb garden, I thought, Yes.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

If you want to hang with your pals, then coordinate a post-show meet-up at the bar or the diner or on the way to the subway.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

Bass voted with the Metro board majority earlier this year to approve the multibillion-dollar Sepulveda Transit Corridor project, which will connect the Westside to the San Fernando Valley by subway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

The subway wasn't running, due to an electrical fire that had knocked out half the system.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Today’s stars are now doing interviews in costume, on subways, and talking to other celebrities on their various podcasts.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

Longtime critics of subways used the explosion to stoke community fears that tunneling would lead to exploding homes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

Philadelphia’s World Cup host organization said Monday that it will offer free public transit to fans who are traveling home from Lincoln Financial Field via the state’s Septa system, which operates buses, subways and trains.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026

Instead, he insists that subways are public and should be free.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

And so, on our way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I taught Calista everything there was to know about New York—the streets and the avenues, express subways, bus stops.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

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Related Words

• metro
• underground

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