Meaning & use
roadway
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The strip of a road that vehicles drive on, not including the edges or walkways beside it.
Grammar: Usually singular with the: the roadway was wet; a plural form exists for several surfaces.
Patterns
- cross the roadway
- on the roadway
- roadway between something and something
A fallen branch was blocking the roadway, so traffic had to turn around.
Please do not stand on the roadway while you wait for the bus.
Crews repainted the lane markings along the entire roadway overnight.
nouncountable
A road or route considered as a way of getting from one place to another, especially a major one.
Grammar: Often used in news and planning language: the new roadway opens in May.
Patterns
- build a roadway
- a roadway to something
The city plans a new roadway linking the airport to downtown.
Heavy snow closed the main roadway through the mountains.
Word forms
| plural | roadways |
|---|
Common combinations
- paved roadway
- The paved roadway ended at the edge of the village.
- clear the roadway
- Police asked drivers to clear the roadway for the ambulance.
- cross a roadway
- Children must hold hands when they cross a roadway.
- roadway surface
- Ice made the roadway surface dangerous at dawn.
- busy roadway
- They live beside a busy roadway and hear traffic all night.
Synonyms and how they differ
- road
- Road is the everyday word for the whole way, while roadway focuses on the part vehicles use.
- carriageway
- Carriageway is mainly British and refers to one side of a divided highway, which is narrower than roadway.
- street
- Street suggests a road with buildings in a town, whereas roadway can be anywhere.
- highway
- Highway means a major public road, while roadway is just the driving surface of any road.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: roadway or railway?
roadway vs railway
A railway is a track for trains; a roadway is for cars, trucks and similar vehicles.
Practice
Which word best fits? The police closed the ___ after a truck lost its load, but pedestrians could still use the sidewalk.
Choose one answer.
Roadway is the vehicle surface of a road. Railway is for trains, pathway is for walkers, and runway is for aircraft.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “roadway”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.