road

road

noun \ˈrōd\

Definition of ROAD

1

: roadstead —often used in plural

2

a : an open way for vehicles, persons, and animals; especially : one lying outside of an urban district : highway

b : roadbed 2b

3

: a route or way to an end, conclusion, or circumstance <on the road to success>

4

: railway

5

: a series of scheduled visits or appearances (as games or performances) in several locations or the travel necessary to make these visits <the team is on the road> <on tour with the musical's road company>

— road·less \ˈrōd-ləs\ adjective

— down the road

: in or into the future

Examples of ROAD

1. We'll cross the road up ahead at the crosswalk.
2. He drove off the road.
3. We parked by the side of the road.
4. There are lots of cars on the road this morning.
5. These country roads are beautiful.
6. a desolate stretch of road
7. Miles of road lay ahead.
8. The cabin is accessible by road.

Origin of ROAD

Middle English rode, from Old English rād ride, journey; akin to Old English rīdan to ride

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to ROAD

Synonyms

arterial, artery, avenue, boulevard, carriageway [British], drag, drive, expressway, freeway, high road, highway, pass, pike, way, roadway, route, row, street, thoroughfare, thruway, trace, turnpike

Related Words

causeway; autobahn, autoroute, autostrada, dual carriageway [chiefly British], interstate, motorway [chiefly British], superhighway; beltway, bypass, parkway, ring road [chiefly British]; corniche, switchback; through street; high street [British], Main Street; backstreet, branch, bystreet, byway, crossroad, secondary road, shunpike, side road, side street; alley, alleyway; circle, lane, laneway [British], mews [chiefly British], place; close [chiefly British], cul-de-sac, dead end; corridor; track, trail

Rhymes with ROAD

bode, bowed, code, goad, load, lode, mode, node, ode, rode, toad, toed, woad

road

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Elements of a modern asphalt road.—© Merriam-Webster Inc.

Traveled way on which people, animals, or wheeled vehicles move. The earliest roads developed from paths and trails and appeared with the invention of wheeled vehicles about 3000 BC. Road systems were developed to facilitate trade in early civilizations; the first major road extended 1,500 mi (2,400 km) from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea and was used as early as 3500 BC. The Romans used roads to maintain control of their empire, with over 53,000 mi (85,000 km) of roadways extending across its lands; Roman construction techniques and design remained the most advanced until the late 1700s. In the early 19th century the invention of macadam road construction provided a quick and durable method for building roads, and asphalt and concrete also began to be used. Motorized traffic in the 20th century led to the limited-access highway, the first of which was a parkway in New York City (1925). Superhighways also appeared in Italy and Germany in the 1930s. In the 1950s the U.S. interstate highway system was inaugurated to link the country's major cities.