Meaning & use
highway
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A large main road, often with several lanes, that links towns or cities and carries fast traffic.
Grammar: Countable: a highway, two highways.
Patterns
- on the highway
- take the highway to somewhere
We took the highway to save time on the trip to Denver.
Traffic on the highway slowed because of rain.
The new highway cuts through the valley.
nouncountablelegal
Any public road that anyone may use, especially in legal contexts.
Grammar: In law, highway covers streets and lanes too, not only big roads.
Patterns
- on the public highway
It is illegal to leave a broken-down car on the highway.
The council must maintain every public highway in its area.
He was fined for blocking the highway.
nouncountablefigurative
A main route or channel for travel or the flow of information.
Grammar: Usually figurative: an information highway.
Patterns
- a highway for something
Rivers were once the main highways for trade.
Nerves are highways carrying signals around the body.
Fiber cables form a highway for internet data.
Word forms
| plural | highways |
|---|
Common combinations
- interstate highway
- The interstate highway runs across the country.
- drive on the highway
- Learners must practice driving on the highway.
- highway robbery
- Ten dollars for water is highway robbery.
- highway patrol
- The highway patrol closed two lanes after the crash.
- highway exit
- Take the next highway exit for gas.
Synonyms and how they differ
- motorway
- Motorway is the British term for a fast multi-lane road, while highway is more American and can be less restricted.
- freeway
- Freeway means a toll-free road with limited access, especially in western states, while highway is broader.
- expressway
- Expressway stresses a fast road with limited entrances, while highway might include ordinary main roads.
- thoroughfare
- Thoroughfare is more formal and may mean any main street, even in a town.
Opposites
Word family
- highwayman noun
- a robber on a public road in the past
- highway code noun
- the official road rules in Britain
Commonly confused: highway or freeway?
highway vs freeway
A freeway never charges tolls and has controlled entry, whereas a highway can be any main road.
Practice
An American driver says, "Let's take the ___ because it is faster than the side streets."
Choose one answer.
A highway is a fast main road. A driveway is a short private road to a house, which would not save time.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “highway”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.