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DictionaryhighwayMain road
noun

highway

HIGH-way/ˈhaɪweɪ/

A main public route carrying road traffic.

The highway connects our small town to the nearest city.

A broad divided highway carries modest traffic through open countryside.
Etymology
highOld Englishmain, important
+wayOld Englishroad, path

Here “high” means principal or important: a highway was a main road connecting towns. That emphasis on a road’s importance carries into the modern motor-traffic sense.

In context

Plantmix Asphalt Industry of Kentucky1:15
A small two-lane rural road has a different "recipe" than a major interstate highway
What's In Asphalt?

More examples

  • We take the highway instead of the winding back roads.
  • Heavy snow closes both highways through the mountains.
  • A gas station stands beside the highway.

Forms

highway · highways

Similar words

road
A broader term that includes small local routes.
freeway
A divided highway with controlled access and no crossing traffic.
thoroughfare
Emphasizes passage through a place, often within a city.