expressway

noun

ex·​press·​way ik-ˈspres-ˌwā How to pronounce expressway (audio)
: a high-speed divided highway for through traffic with access partially or fully controlled

Examples of expressway in a Sentence

a baffling maze of high-speed expressways encircles the city
Recent Examples on the Web Since the 1920s, plans have been made and scrapped for an expressway around the city center. Peter Guest, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024 City leaders crafted the Metropolitan Master Plan of 1948, with designs to transform the riverfront into a vibrant showpiece of a modern city, with a baseball stadium, greenspace and a bypass expressway. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2024 The chase spanned from high speeds on the expressways to a crawling pace along the airport’s departure road before ending around 7 a.m. in front of the Air Surinam entrance at MIA. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 Johnston Square hugs the eastern edge of the Jones Falls Valley and its expressway. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 13 Jan. 2024 That's not to say closing a portion of the expressway that connects two of Cincinnati's major highways, I-71 and I-75, won't be a challenge. The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024 Homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city’s expressways, also is not included here. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2024 The expressway connects two of Cincinnati's major highways, Interstates 75 and 71. The Enquirer, 11 Mar. 2024 Someone rear-ends an Apple autonomous test vehicle that is trying to merge onto an expressway. Wes Davis, The Verge, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'expressway.' 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

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of expressway was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near expressway

Cite this Entry

“Expressway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expressway. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

expressway

noun
ex·​press·​way ik-ˈspres-ˌwā How to pronounce expressway (audio)
: a divided superhighway that may be entered and left only at special places

More from Merriam-Webster on expressway

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!