Meaning & use
sideroad
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A smaller road that joins or branches off from a main road.
Grammar: Countable; usually written as two words 'side road' but 'sideroad' also appears.
Patterns
- turn off onto a sideroad
- a narrow sideroad
- down a sideroad
We turned onto a quiet sideroad to avoid the traffic.
The house sits at the end of a narrow sideroad.
A sideroad joins the highway just past the bridge.
Word forms
| plural | sideroads |
|---|
Common combinations
- turn onto a sideroad
- He turned onto a sideroad and stopped the car.
- a narrow sideroad
- The cottage is down a narrow sideroad.
- a quiet sideroad
- They parked on a quiet sideroad near the market.
- come off a sideroad
- A van came off a sideroad without looking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- side street
- A side street is usually in a town and lined with buildings; a sideroad is more often a smaller road in the countryside.
- back road
- A back road is a minor route away from main traffic, often rural; a sideroad simply branches off a bigger road.
- lane
- A lane is a narrow country road; a sideroad may be wider and can be in a town.
Opposites
Word family
- roadside noun
- The edge of a road.
- side street noun
- A smaller street leading off a main one.
Commonly confused: sideroad or side road?
sideroad vs side road
This is the same word written as two words; 'sideroad' is a less common single-word spelling.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sideroad' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A sideroad is a smaller road, so 'took a sideroad to get around the traffic' fits. Trains run on tracks, not roads, and the other options make no sense with a road word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sideroad”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.