roads

noun

plural of road
1
as in highways
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel I think we should take one of the less congested roads

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in railroads
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 roads In parts of Uvalde County, muddy floodwaters covered roads and fields and rose nearly as high as houses' rooftops, according to a video posted by Texas Department of Public Safety. — Bill Chappell, NPR, 16 July 2026 Bulldozers shuffled right through the rubble to make roads that cut Gaza into separate sections. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026 The analysis included roads with speed limits of 45 mph (72 kph) and higher. — Alexa St. John, Fortune, 16 July 2026 The gray zone has reached the town and two separate Russian prongs edge closer to its main access roads. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 16 July 2026 Hydroplaning is the term for when a vehicle begins sliding uncontrollably on wet roads. — Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026 Hydroplaning happens when a vehicle starts sliding uncontrollably on wet roads. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 Hydroplaning occurs when a vehicle begins to slide uncontrollably on wet roads. — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2026 Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous surf and NEVER turn your back on the ocean If travel is required, allow extra time as some roads may be closed. — Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roads
  1. highways
  2. railroads
  3. streets
  4. railways
  5. thoroughfares
  6. freeways
  7. routes
  8. expressways
Noun
  • Here's your daily look at traffic on major highways in the Kansas City area.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2026
  • This weekend's group ride will travel along state highways and local roads only.
    — Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Definition of highways
Noun
  • In the 1880s, quarterly reporting by railroads and other transportation companies were common.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • From the railroads of the 1800s to power grids, aviation, the telephone, the integrated circuit, the internet and now artificial intelligence (AI), private capital has financed wave after wave of progress.
    — Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of railroads
Noun
  • Ander Etxanobe was injured on the fourth day of the week-long festival, which draws thousands of participants to Pamplona to sprint ahead of charging bulls through the city’s historic, narrow streets.
    — Abby Dodge, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
  • Crowds are expected to gather along major Midtown cross streets as the sun appears to hang between buildings before slipping below the horizon.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of streets
Noun
  • In Southern California, cliffs could erode more than 130 feet by the end of the century, and the consequences of erosion have already proved to be severe on major roads, railways and other critical infrastructure.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • Across Africa, governments have spent decades announcing ports without thinking about connecting railways, highways without paved feeder roads, and pipelines without ancillary terminals.
    — Bright Simons, semafor.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of railways
Noun
  • The transition plan outlines the city’s ongoing projects to ensure ADA access to city properties and pedestrian thoroughfares, according to a press release from the city of Geneva.
    — Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • At its heart, a fourth-century Christian basilica overlooking one of the city’s main thoroughfares, while two watchtowers guarded its outskirts.
    — Anne Doran for ARTnews, Robb Report, 7 July 2026
Definition of thoroughfares
Noun
  • For decades, the powers that be have burdened the Eastside with freeways, warehouses, public corruption, unsightly developments that have brought on gentrification and civic negligence bordering on the criminal.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Another lithium-ion fire in 2024 forced authorities to close one of the major freeways leading out of the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach for a day.
    — Tom Wait, CBS News, 24 June 2026
Definition of freeways
Noun
  • Their main fantasy appeal comes from players with secure minutes, penalties and multiple routes to points.
    — Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Others will argue, reasonably, that no other commercial industry staffs onboard physicians on most routes, and that the infrequency of serious events makes dedicated medical staffing hard to justify economically.
    — Sriman Swarup, STAT, 13 July 2026
Definition of routes
Noun
  • Homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city’s expressways, also is not included here.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
  • In November 2016, Santa Clara County voters approved Measure B, a 30-year, half-cent countywide sales tax to enhance transit, highways, expressways, and active transportation (bicycles, pedestrians, and complete streets).
    — Phan Khang, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
Definition of expressways

Browse Nearby Words

road rage
roads
roadstead
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Roads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roads. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on roads

Nglish: Translation of roads for Spanish Speakers

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 obdurate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All