subway

noun

sub·​way ˈsəb-ˌwā 

: an underground way: such as

a

: a passage under a street (as for pedestrians, power cables, or water or gas mains)

b

: a usually electric underground railway

c

: underpass

subway intransitive verb

Examples of subway in a Sentence

I took the subway to midtown.

No one on the subway seemed to mind how crowded it was.

I've been on both the New York subway and the Underground in London.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the subways should not be the solution for this problem. —Lucius Riccio, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2026

Spider-Man’s struggle against Doc Ock is thrilling — especially the subway set piece, an action sequence that no other superhero movie has come close to matching — but Spider-Man 2 is really about Peter Parker’s struggle with Spider-Man. —James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026

Or choose subway tiles for a timeless look that never goes out of style. —Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 31 Jan. 2026

Communication cables detached from elevated subway tracks and fell onto parked cars Friday in Brooklyn. —Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing subway

• subway train

Rhymes for subway

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

subway

noun

sub·​way ˈsəb-ˌwā 

1

: an underground passage

2

: a usually electric underground railway