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

Transit officials say more than 90% of subway and bus trips are now paid using the tap-and-go system, introduced in 2019. —Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025

But just as New York subway tokens became icons of the city, so did the MetroCard. —Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025

Chicago Police Police issued a surveillance image of the three girls in a Chicago Transit Authority subway station. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025

Design details inspired by yellow taxi cabs, subway lights, and the building’s Beaux-Arts history celebrate this bustling neighborhood that—just like W Hotels—is always evolving. —Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2025

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