road

noun

ˈrōd How to pronounce road (audio)
Definition of roadnext
1
as in highway
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel I think we should take one of the less congested roads

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in railroad
a roadway overlaid with parallel steel rails over which trains travel the railway companies are continually repairing their roads

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 road In Poipu, a resort town on the southern coast of Kauai, officials called on residents to stay off roads and urged tourists to shelter in place. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026 Roseville police later announced that the scene had been determined safe and that roads in the area were reopening. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 Both colleagues have followed different roads, yet both have achieved meaningful success. — E'ian West, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026 For Arthur Morgan, who came to OIC with a background in construction, training as a road flagger led directly to work. — Najahe Sherman, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for road
Recent Examples of Synonyms for road
  1. highway
  2. railroad
  3. street
  4. railway
  5. thoroughfare
  6. freeway
  7. route
  8. expressway
Noun
  • Over the course of the holiday, just under a quarter of cars traveling on China’s highways were EVs — up 33% from a year earlier.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Russian outlet Izvestia reported on Sunday that Moscow is upgrading existing rail crossings and considering new highways to handle growing bilateral trade.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of highway
Noun
  • Consider the foreign-born who joined the Gold Rush, the Chinese railroad workers, and still and always the Latino population along the long, wide international border.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • His grandfather, Mateo Lopez, a Santa Fe railroad worker, helped build the neighborhood hall with other residents in the 1930s as a place for dances, weddings, and quinceañeras.
    — Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of railroad
Noun
  • Hundreds of people were getting killed every year at street-level crossings, and to quell the public outcry, the railroads scrambled to elevate freight tracks citywide at their own expense.
    — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Before the terrible day was over firehouses, street corners and parks became mourning places.
    — Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of street
Noun
  • Once operational, the railway is expected to become the shortest overland connection between China and the Middle East and Europe.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
  • North Korea and Russia, which are already served by a railway bridge and air service, agreed in 2024 to construct a bridge for automobiles over the Tumen River, which runs along North Korea’s borders with Russia and China.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of railway
Noun
  • Two years later, Wong became one of the key leaders of the city’s Umbrella Movement protests that rallied thousands of predominantly young people to the streets to call for greater democracy by blocking major thoroughfares for 79 straight days.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • At Aizomê, a stylish Japanese restaurant shrouded by a thick wall of trees just off São Paulo’s main thoroughfare, Avenida Paulista, the food is both recognizable to devotees of Japanese cuisine and distinctly Brazilian.
    — Tomé Morrissy-Swan, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of thoroughfare
Noun
  • Nam said the freeway portion of the network has been set, but the surface street portion of the network is still being worked out.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The vehicle traveled onto the freeway before re-entering the city, with the California Highway Patrol and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office becoming involved in the chase.
    — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of freeway
Noun
  • Even though his only preseason success came on straight go balls that didn’t test his route running, coaches have professed faith in the 2025 third-round pick.
    — Chad Graff, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Yemeni government military sources said the Houthis had gained further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern outlet of the Red Sea and one of the world's most important shipping routes, and had reached the islands of Hanish.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of route
Noun
  • Bikes are not allowed to on freeways or expressways, and cyclists cannot pass through tolls unless the signs nearby dictate otherwise.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The driver is also alleged to have made a U-turn from a through lane after exiting the expressway, according to the affidavit.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of expressway

Phrases Containing road

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roaches
road
roadblock
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Cite this Entry

“Road.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/road. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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