lane

¹

[ leyn ]

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

[ leyn ]

adjective

1. lone.

Lane

³

[ leyn ]

noun

1. a male given name.

lane

¹

/ leɪn /

adjective

1. lone or alone
2. one's lane or on one's lane
   on one's own

lane

²

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lane¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lane¹

Old English lane, lanu, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch lāne lane

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. by one's lane. lonesome ( def 4 ).

More idioms and phrases containing lane

see fast lane ; lovers' lane .

Synonym Study

See path.

Example Sentences

A third woman, who we are calling Rebecca, says she was also sexually assaulted by Mohamed Al Fayed in Park Lane.

From BBC

So when Al Fayed asked her to do some filing work for his brother, Salah, at his Park Lane home, she saw it as a way out.

From BBC

She went back, but Rachael says 18 months later she was lured to Mohamed Al Fayed’s Park Lane home where he sexually assaulted her.

From BBC

Encouraging users to take a context-free trip down memory lane is an easy way for social platforms to monetize our nostalgia.

From Slate

Jameel, 54, from Old Oscott Lane, pleaded guilty to two counts of facilitating illegal immigration at Birmingham Crown Court on December 20 2023.

From BBC

Related Words

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