motorway

noun

Definition of motorwaynext
chiefly British
as in autobahn

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of motorway This is for a variety of reasons, but relatively low speeds, gentle acceleration, extensive regenerative braking, and little resemblance to sustained motorway driving are key among them. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026 The house is at the Windsor Road-edge of the historic Bray Studios, tucked between the River Thames and a section of the A308 motorway, in the hamlet of Water Oakley. — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026 Aerial images of a fire sweeping through the Fontainebleau forest near Paris, burning several hectares and forcing the closure of part of a motorway, on July 12, 2026. — CBS News, 13 July 2026 In May, a minibus rammed into a bus parked along a motorway in northwest Pakistan, killing 17 people and injuring five others. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for motorway
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motorway
  1. autobahn
  2. highway
  3. interstate
  4. superhighway
  5. freeway
  6. road
  7. autostrada
  8. autoroute
Noun
  • The new Stars arena will be located off the Dallas autobahn, more commonly called the Dallas North Tollway, which over the last decade has become one of the busiest main roads in DFW.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2026
  • Southbound on the autobahn, just shy of the halfway point to Munich, a 45‑minute detour east leads to Weltenburger Klosterbrauerei, brewing since 1050.
    — David Dickstein, Oc Register, 10 June 2026
Definition of autobahn
Noun
  • It’s been used to raise funds for Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, a Minnesota woman caught using a racist slur on camera and to support Canadian truckers who blocked highways in protest of Covid restrictions.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
  • This section of the two-lane road has been carved directly into the red-quartzite cliffs of the Uncompahgre Gorge, and almost none of it has a shoulder; in some places, the highway is only twenty-three feet wide.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of highway
Noun
  • Council members Malcolm Graham and Joi Mayo, whose west Charlotte districts fall in the interstate’s footprint, flipped their votes in favor.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Both men reportedly took turns filming each other while firing rifles over the interstate, at a time when traffic was stopped.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of interstate
Noun
  • Our strategic position between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi watershed set our course as a commerce superhighway, with the Chicago Portage connecting two vast trading routes between the Atlantic and the Gulf.
    — Alaina Harkness, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
  • Mycorrhizal fungi direct traffic through nutrient superhighways and restructure the soil to support life across entire ecosystems.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Definition of superhighway
Noun
  • Vehicles drive on the 405 freeway (overpass) past a US flag displayed outside of the Marathon Petroleum Corp.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Suburbs stretch their undulating freeways into the grid, sucking out nutrients (and cutting through neighborhoods).
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of freeway
Noun
  • And neither Atlanta Public Schools nor Atlanta fire had answers for why buses and a firetruck were not told the road was blocked.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
  • And the road toward whatever the final destination is starts now.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of road
Noun
  • Germany and Italy expanded motorway networks—the Autobahn and the autostrada—laying the foundations for the automobile’s privileged position in this modernity.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • It was named Lucca incidentally because Auto Union star driver Hans Stuck set its record-breaking speed on a stretch of straight autostrada near the Italian town in 1935.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 May 2026
Definition of autostrada
Noun
  • Improvements required to be competitive on the autoroute Chinese EVs are designed to match local speed limits but may be forced to improve aerodynamics and gearing to be able to compete with German speedsters.
    — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2026
  • The bridge carries the A75 autoroute across the Tarn valley, stretching 2,460 meters.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
Definition of autoroute

Browse Nearby Words

motor vehicles
motorway
motorways
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Motorway.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motorway. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on motorway

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about motorway

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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tittle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All