lane

¹ American  

[leyn] / leɪn /

noun

1. a narrow way or passage between hedges, fences, walls, or houses.

   Synonyms:

   alley

2. any narrow or well-defined passage, track, channel, or course.

3. a longitudinally marked part of a highway wide enough to accommodate one vehicle, often set off from adjacent lanes by painted lines (often used in combination).

   a new six-lane turnpike.

4. a fixed route followed by ocean steamers or airplanes.

5. (in a running or swimming race) the marked-off space or path within which a competitor must remain during the course of a race.

6. a long, narrow wooden track that a ball rolls down in a game of bowling.

7. an area of interest or expertise that is associated with a person or group whose contributions or authority in that area are respected.

   Teen magazines should stay in their lane and stick to publishing articles about relationships, style, and beauty.

8. Politics.  an affiliation or faction that presents one path to nomination or election victory for candidates who espouse that ideology or embody its ideals.

   The libertarian candidates siphoned voters away from the conservative establishment lane in the primary.

9. (in a MOBA video game) one of the major arteries on the map between the two strongholds in which the fighting between characters occurs.

   Our strategy is to push with a support character in the top lane.

---

lane ² American  

[leyn] / leɪn /

adjective

1. lone.

---

idioms

1. by one's lane.  lonesome.

Lane ³ American  

[leyn] / leɪn /

noun

1. a male given name.

---

lane ¹ British  

/ leɪn /

noun

1. 1. a narrow road or way between buildings, hedges, fences, etc

   2. ( capital as part of a street name )

      Drury Lane

2. 1. any of the parallel strips into which the carriageway of a major road or motorway is divided

   2. any narrow well-defined route or course for ships or aircraft

3. one of the parallel strips into which a running track or swimming bath is divided for races

4. the long strip of wooden flooring down which balls are bowled in a bowling alley

---

lane ² British  

/ leɪn /

adjective

1. lone or alone

2. on one's own

---

lane More Idioms  

1. see fast lane; lovers' lane.

---

Related Words

See path.

Etymology

Origin of lane

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch laan “avenue,” Old Norse lǫn “oblong hayrick, row of houses”

Example Sentences

Solo EV drivers using California carpool lanes will face ticketing beginning Monday as the perk disappears.

From Los Angeles Times

Some in the pit lane sniffed a conspiracy here.

From BBC

Commercial shippers hope to establish an express shipping lane to save time and money.

From The Wall Street Journal

Charles Leclerc dropped from ninth on the grid to finish 13th, after two off-track moments, while Lewis Hamilton finished 17th after starting from the pit lane.

From BBC

Guardrails between lanes not bolted but furnished with a quick fixture so they can be dismantled in a short time.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• artery
• avenue
• boulevard
• expressway
• highway
• pathway
• roadway
• route
• street
• thoroughfare