way station

American

noun

a station intermediate between principal stations, as on a railroad.

Etymology

Origin of way station

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

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.

After Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021, Camp As Sayliyah was meant to serve as a safe way station for Afghans who worked with the U.S. and applied to come to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

“Eternity,” set in a way station resembling a blocky airport Radisson at capacity, may never become pantheon material.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

Tunisia's lakes and coastal lagoons are parched and overheating, endangering a delicate ecosystem and disrupting the vast flocks of migrating birds that use the wetlands as a way station between Africa and Europe.

From Reuters • Aug. 15, 2023

Aswan, the Egyptian city closest to the border with Sudan, has become a way station for tens of thousands of Sudanese fleeing fighting between Sudan’s military and rival paramilitary force.

From Seattle Times • May 14, 2023

It wasn’t a place to learn anymore, but a way station, and maybe she was responsible for that.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023