autobahn

noun

au·​to·​bahn ˈȯ-tō-ˌbän  ˈau̇- 

: a German, Swiss, or Austrian expressway

Examples of autobahn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The new Stars arena will be located off the Dallas autobahn, more commonly called the Dallas North Tollway, which over the last decade has become one of the busiest main roads in DFW. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2026

Southbound on the autobahn, just shy of the halfway point to Munich, a 45‑minute detour east leads to Weltenburger Klosterbrauerei, brewing since 1050. —David Dickstein, Oc Register, 10 June 2026

At about 90 mph on an unlimited German autobahn the range will be cut by about 44% to around 185 miles, according to ChatGPT. —Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026

For Hitler, the autobahn was a concrete expression of German efficiency and nationalism. —Big Think, 1 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Autobahn, from Auto auto entry 1 + Bahn "path, way, lane," going back to Middle High German ban, bane "cleared path, track," akin to Middle Low German & Middle Dutch bāne in same sense, of uncertain origin

Note: The Germanic etymon represented by Bahn is perhaps akin to Old High German bano "killer, murderer," Old English bana, etc. (see bane entry 1), if both descend from a verb meaning "strike, beat down." See Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Band 1, pp. 460-61.

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for autobahn

• aileron
• antiphon
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon
• epsilon
• etalon