Meaning & use
central reservation
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Meaning
nouncountableBritish
The narrow strip of land that separates the two directions of traffic on a large road or highway.
Grammar: Countable: one central reservation, two central reservations. Often used with 'on' or 'in': on the central reservation.
Patterns
- on the central reservation
- a central reservation barrier
The car skidded across the central reservation and stopped on the other side.
They planted trees along the central reservation to block the headlights.
Never try to cross the central reservation on foot — traffic moves fast on both sides.
Word forms
| plural | central reservations |
|---|
Common combinations
- on the central reservation
- A broken-down van was sitting on the central reservation.
- cross the central reservation
- The truck crossed the central reservation during the storm.
- central reservation barrier
- A new central reservation barrier will make the road safer.
- the grass on the central reservation
- Workers were cutting the grass on the central reservation.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: central reservation or hard shoulder?
central reservation vs hard shoulder
The hard shoulder is the emergency lane at the edge of a road; the central reservation runs down the middle.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'central reservation' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Central reservation' is the strip between the two directions of traffic, so you can hit a barrier on it. You cannot park or leave a car there, and you do not turn at it — those options confuse it with a car park or a junction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “central reservation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.