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

I just stayed in my lane and treated it as more of a job than something I do feel proud and a member of and want to support it in any way I can.

From Los Angeles Times

BlueCruise, introduced in 2021, promises to keep a car in its lane, manage speed and slow down when approaching another vehicle, all without a driver’s hands on the steering wheel.

From The Wall Street Journal

Healey told reporters on Tuesday that allies were looking at a range of options to keep the key shipping lane open.

From BBC

The partnership will seek to deploy autonomous vehicles in unsolved areas, such as the intersection of roadways, bike lanes and road-adjacent spaces.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jogging across an old highway with faded paint marking the lanes, you notice a worn sign straight ahead.

From Literature

Related Words

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