highway
Americannoun
-
a main road, especially one between towns or cities.
the highway between Los Angeles and Seattle.
- Synonyms:
- interstate, thruway, freeway, expressway
-
any public road or waterway.
-
any main or ordinary route, track, or course.
noun
-
a public road that all may use
-
law a main road, esp one that connects towns or cities
-
a main route for any form of transport
-
a direct path or course
Etymology
Origin of highway
before 900; Middle English heyewei, Old English heiweg. See high, way 1
Compare meaning
How does highway compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A highway is a busy road with many lanes. Highways are usually the quickest route for driving between one city and another. Highways were originally built to connect cities and towns, and since they're wide and have high speed limits, they decreased the travel time. Highways are always considered public land, and they're usually maintained by the individual state. The Old English precursor was heahweg, "main street" or "main way." The word high has often been used to mean "main" or "major," especially when describing a street.
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.
As the smooth highway north of Seville stretched into the vastness of pastoral Extremadura, the chances of finding a lynx, which remains rarer than the snow leopard or the Bengal tiger, felt impossibly small.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
A former German transport minister faces a perjury trial related to a failed scheme to charge foreign motorists highway tolls, a debacle that cost the government hundreds of millions of euros.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
She stopped after Judith, one of her favorites, was killed by a car while trying to cross a highway.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
That tells me that it’s his way or the highway.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
Alex uses his glasses to lead the way along the shoulder of the highway.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
