highway

noun

high·​way ˈhī-ˌwā How to pronounce highway (audio)
: a public way
especially : a main direct road

Examples of highway in a Sentence

I had heard there was a traffic jam on the highway, so I took the side roads. the four-lane highway narrows to two lanes once you leave the city
Recent Examples on the Web Authorities have barricaded highways leading to New Delhi with cement blocks, metal containers, barbed wire and iron spikes to prevent the farmers from entering the capital. Rishi Lekhi and Ashok Sharma, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Angelina Sole Lopez died after driving her Honda Civic south on the highway’s northbound lanes and hitting a concrete bridge rail. Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 In conjunction with the Midwestern swing, the White House unveiled $3.3 billion in federal grants to remove or retrofit highways that separate minority neighborhoods in many cities from jobs, entertainment centers, hospitals and other services. Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 The expressway connects two of Cincinnati's major highways, Interstates 75 and 71. The Enquirer, 11 Mar. 2024 Eventually, there was so much trade and traffic between Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia that America’s first major highway was created. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 Also early Saturday, an 18-wheeler overturned on I-77 southbound, closing the highway for hours near Exit 65 Highway 901 in northern Iredell County, officials said. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 2 Mar. 2024 Other Sierra roadways, Caltrans said, weren’t in much better shape, and officials cautioned tractor-trailer drivers and others to avoid using smaller highways to bypass the closures. Daniel Hunt, Sacramento Bee, 2 Mar. 2024 Jeremy Linder, a spokesperson for Caltrans, couldn’t estimate when officials would reopen the highway. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'highway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of highway was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near highway

Cite this Entry

“Highway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/highway. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

highway

noun
high·​way ˈhī-ˌwā How to pronounce highway (audio)
: a public road
especially : a main direct road

More from Merriam-Webster on highway

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