right of way

American  

Or right-of-way

noun

plural

rights of way, right of ways

1. a common law or statutory right granted to a vehicle, as an airplane or boat, to proceed ahead of another.

2. a path or route that may lawfully be used.

3. a right of passage, as over another's land.

4. the strip of land acquired for use by a railroad for tracks.

5. land covered by a public road.

6. land over which a power line passes.

7. Fencing. the right to attack or continue an attack, and thus to be credited with a hit, by virtue of having first extended the sword arm or having parried the opponent's attack.

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right of way British  

noun

1. the right of one vehicle or vessel to take precedence over another, as laid down by law or custom

2. 1. the legal right of someone to pass over another's land, acquired by grant or by long usage

   2. the path or road used by this right

3. the strip of land over which a power line, railway line, road, etc, extends

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right of way Idioms  

1. The right of one person or vehicle to travel over another's property, as in The new owner doesn't like it, but hikers have had the right of way through these woods for decades . [Mid-1700s]

2. The right to precede another person or vehicle, as in Sailboats always have the right of way over motorboats, and swimmers do over any kind of boat . [Early 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of right of way

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

Over the last few years a lot of legal work has been done by local authorities and the National Parks to make the path an official right of way.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

The robots swarming around look like electric orange self-driving lawn mowers in a coordinated dance, giving one another the right of way.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

They’re dirt and sand roads, but there’s intersections, there’s right of way.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 24, 2025

Once a right of way has been established, the local authority and landowner are legally responsible for maintaining it.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2024

I almost run across the intersection even though the lights say I have the right of way.

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi