road

noun

ˈrōd 

1

a

: an open way for vehicles, persons, and animals

especially : one lying outside of an urban district : highway

b

: roadbed sense 2b

2

: roadstead

—often plural

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 (such 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

roadless

ˈrōd-ləs 

adjective

see also:

down the road hit the road

Synonyms of road

• highway
• street
• thoroughfare
• freeway
• route
• expressway
• roadway
• boulevard
• carriageway
• turnpike

Examples of road in a Sentence

We'll cross the road up ahead at the crosswalk.

He drove off the road.

We parked by the side of the road.

There are lots of cars on the road this morning.

These country roads are beautiful.

a desolate stretch of road

Miles of road lay ahead.

The cabin is accessible by road.

Recent Examples on the Web

The aircraft could help teams assess affected areas and deliver essential supplies when roads become difficult to navigate. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026

Oil from the crash caused the motorcycle officer to lose control, and the motorcycle slid in the road near 400 Southwest Boulevard. — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Rwanda last year hosted the road cycling world championships. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

In From Day One As countries build generation-defining infrastructure—road and rail tunnels, smart stadiums and hospital precincts—connectivity is too often bolted on late in construction. — Stephen Farrugia, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing road

• been/gone down this/that road before
• dirt road
• down the road
• down the road/path to perdition
• fork in the road
• frontage road
• get the/this show on the road
• high road
• hit the road
• main/major road
• middle of the road
• off-road
• one for the road
• on the road
• on the road to recovery
• post road
• relief road
• ring road
• road agent
• road bicycle
• road bike
• road/ground clearance
• road hog
• road map
• road metal
• road racing
• road rage
• road rash
• road roller
• road show
• road sign
• road test
• road to recovery
• road trip
• road warrior
• rocky road
• rule of the road
• secondary road
• service road
• side road
• skid road
• slip road
• the end of the road
• the high road
• the open road
• tobacco road
• took the high road
• trunk road

Rhymes for road

• blowed
• bode
• code
• crowed
• flowed
• glowed
• goad
• growed
• knowed
• load
• lode
• lowed

Kids Definition

road

noun

ˈrōd 

1

: roadstead

—often used in plural

2

a

: an open way for vehicles, persons, and animals

b

: roadbed sense 2

3

: path sense 2b

the road to success

4

: railroad entry 1

5

: a series of visits to several places or the travel necessary to get there

the team plays five games on the road

traveled with the road company of the play