Synonyms

ways

¹ American

[weyz] / weɪz /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

way.

-ways ² American

a suffix appearing in native English adverbs.

always; sideways.

-ways British

suffix

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 -ways¹

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.

All of that could be read in many different ways, innocent or otherwise.

From BBC

Selling abroad could also give Murree a chance to promote its history and brand in ways unimaginable at home.

From Barron's

Instead of recession, the U.S. economy expanded in somewhat unexpected ways.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her family this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.

From BBC

Scoring in a variety of ways against a defense that provided little resistance, Bilodeau finished with a career-high 34 points while making 12 of 19 shots to go with six rebounds.

From Los Angeles Times

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