byway

noun

by·​way ˈbī-ˌwā How to pronounce byway (audio)
1
: a little traveled side road
2
: a secondary or little known aspect or field
meandering more and more in the fascinating byways of learningThe Times Literary Supplement (London)

Examples of byway in a Sentence

I prefer to take byways to town. He's traveled the highways and byways of this country. the byways of the art world The book chronicles some of the interesting byways of legal history.
Recent Examples on the Web Simply put, its spiciness is meant to be devoured on the go, while driving along the stretches of scenic highways and byways between Baton Rouge and Beaumont. Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2024 Her downbeat side has been too much stressed, maybe due to a general tendency among writers to valorize the darker byways of modernism. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 The redevelopment of the ITD campus has played a significant part in CCDC’s plans for its district along State Street and the city of Boise’s attempts to revitalize and build up the busy commuter byway. Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 9 Feb. 2024 After a months-long closure due to winter storm damage, a major stretch of Angeles Crest Highway has reopened, restoring public access to a variety of trails and mountain vistas along the scenic byway through the San Gabriel Mountains. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023 And although some of the comedic byways reach exuberant extremes of effect—there’s nifty bomb-making, for instance—what’s driving them remains a matter of directorial indifference. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2023 The next morning, two from Hallow’s Eve, Miss Pam arrives at a back gate at Lumen Field, strutting down a byway between two 20-yard television trucks. Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2024 Love Lies Bleeding is a hallucinatory trip down the darkest byways of Americana. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2024 Not to be outdone, the United States took the third spot thanks, of course, to its famed highways and byways like Route 66 and Highway 1. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'byway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of byway was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near byway

Cite this Entry

“Byway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/byway. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

byway

noun
by·​way ˈbī-ˌwā How to pronounce byway (audio)
: a little-traveled side road

More from Merriam-Webster on byway

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