turnpike

American  

[turn-pahyk] / ˈtɜrnˌpaɪk /

noun

1. a high-speed highway, especially one maintained by tolls.

2. (formerly) a barrier set across such a highway to stop passage until a toll has been paid; tollgate.

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turnpike British  

/ ˈtɜːnˌpaɪk /

noun

1. 1. gates or some other barrier set across a road to prevent passage until a toll had been paid

   2. a road on which a turnpike was operated

2. an obsolete word for turnstile

3. a motorway for use of which a toll is charged

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Etymology

Origin of turnpike

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English turnepike “road barrier” ( turnpike in def. 1, short for turnpike road ). See turn, pike ²

Example Sentences

"He was driving along the New Jersey turnpike when it came on his car radio," said Love.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2024

The bugs are still so plentiful, the trained eye can spot them clinging to the trunks of tree of heaven while driving on the turnpike.

From National Geographic • Aug. 31, 2023

In addition to carrying traffic into Manhattan, the turnpike is, like Route 710 in Los Angeles, an artery heavily trafficked by freight trucks carrying goods between ports and warehouses in the area.

From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2023

The turnpike was part of a larger reroute away from the voracious appetite of the South Fork Skokomish River, which kept gobbling up the trail where it ran too close to the riverbank.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2022

I bulldozed blindly through West Virginia, plunged into Pennsylvania and grooved Rocinante to the great wide turnpike.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• expressway
• freeway
• interstate
• roadway
• state highway
• superhighway