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Synonyms

ways

1 American  
[weyz] / weɪz /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

  1. way.

-ways 2 American  

  1. a suffix appearing in native English adverbs.

    always; sideways.
-ways British  

suffix

  1. indicating direction or manner

    sideways
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ways1

Middle English weyes, Old English weges, genitive singular of weg way 1

Origin of -ways2

Middle English; way 1, -s 1

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. Windolf also notes the ways in which Mr. Dylan’s and the Beatles’ careers ran parallel to each other.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

What are some of the most important ways that the arts can make us healthier?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Last week, children's cancer charity Neuroblastoma UK said it had decided to "part ways" with Mills, who had been a patron since 2021.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

In many ways, charge transport acts as a fundamental control system for biology.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

I was tangled in a million ways, but I was strong and smart.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

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.