autobahn
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of autobahn
1935–40; < German, equivalent to Auto auto + Bahn road, way
Explanation
A high-speed German highway is known as an autobahn. While there's no legal speed limit on large sections of an autobahn, signs advise drivers to stay under 130 kilometers per hour (about 80 miles per hour). The specific national system of German highways, generally referred to as the Autobahn, is officially called the Bundesautobahn, or "federal motorway." The word isn't capitalized in English when it generally refers to German-designed highways, which also exist in parts of Poland, Austria, and some other European countries. Germany's Autobahn is famous for not having speed limits, but that's a bit of a misconception: Drivers do have to slow down on sections that run through cities and construction sites.
Vocabulary lists containing autobahn
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.
Mr. Miller’s idea of creating segregated lanes or pursuing similar infrastructural innovation for self-driving cars could be worthwhile if we want, say, a high-speed autonomous autobahn.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025
Todt’s success with the autobahn earned him promotion to lead all of Hitler’s construction programs, and in 1940 he was named the Reich’s armaments minister.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025
Volkswagen shut down assembly lines churning out its popular Golf hatchbacks and converted the factory, which has its own exit on the autobahn, to make six electric models.
From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2024
The youth movement is calling on the government to adhere to the climate targets enshrined in the Paris Agreement, arguing that massive investments in new autobahn projects should be stopped and redirected to low-emission alternatives.
From Reuters • Feb. 28, 2023
Around 8,500 cyclists prevented motorists from using a stretch of Germany's autobahn on Sunday, during a protest calling for better public transport and cycle lanes.
From BBC • Aug. 28, 2022
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.
