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

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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 Kyiv has accused Russian forces of mining nearby roads and using the remaining residents as human shields to prevent Ukraine’s army from conducting offensive operations in the town. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026 Response teams are battling armed conflict, poor roads and violence from residents fueled by mistrust and misinformation. — ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026 Ford's BlueCruise allows hands-free driving on compatible roads, but drivers must continue paying attention. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026 And despite warnings, vehicles were seen plowing through floodwaters on roads in bumper-deep water. — Larry Seward, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Production environments weren’t built for human forms any more than roads built for horses meant cars should have four legs. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 27 Oct. 2026 The aircraft could help teams assess affected areas and deliver essential supplies when roads become difficult to navigate. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026 Fallen trees blocked forest roads, snow forced them to abandon some attempts and return later, and on one climb, a navigation error sent them up the wrong side of the peak. — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026 With two young, deep teams at the top of the conference, all roads seem to lead to an encore of last year’s Western Conference final. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roads
  1. highways
  2. railroads
  3. streets
  4. railways
  5. thoroughfares
  6. freeways
  7. routes
  8. expressways
Noun
  • The records show that for nearly three years now, Florida’s highways have been racing with troopers’ black-and-tan patrol cars chasing drivers, even for non-violent offenses, leaving a trail of severe crashes, injuries and deaths.
    — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Oklahoma's Highway Patrol signed all of its troopers on to 287(g), giving their officers the power to stop a driver and potentially make an immigration arrest on state highways.
    — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of highways
Noun
  • In the 1900s, Standard Oil owned critical oil production infrastructure, pipelines and railroads.
    — Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The characters on their show made their fortunes in railroads and oil, this new gang of robber barons controls everything from AI to electric cars and social networks.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of railroads
Noun
  • Celebrities are still wearing them too, including the actress Zoë Kravitz, who has been photographed in them on New York City streets, and Meghan Markle, who sported a slip skirt for the recent release of her As Ever advent calendar on Instagram.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Spotted out in New York City, the actor and recent beauty brand founder appeared to have taken the comforts of home quite literally onto the streets.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of streets
Noun
  • Many voters thank him ​for pulling Serbia from economic obscurity and orchestrating a period of sustained modernisation including new highways, railways, schools and hospitals.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Flood warnings are also in place, while airports, ferries, railways and roads have seen disruptions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of railways
Noun
  • Chu recommends the side streets near popular thoroughfares for less traffic and therefore more generous candy offerings.
    — Fiorella Valdesolo, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The resulting long lineups snake out from working gas stations into the main thoroughfares of Moscow and other Russian cities.
    — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of thoroughfares
Noun
  • This week’s storm brought localized flooding to several freeways by Thursday morning, including parts of Highway 101 in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo County, according to the National Weather Service.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Director Christopher Nolan uses the premise to stage spectacular sequences where cars reverse down freeways at high speed, cause and effect goes topsy-turvy, and fights are just, well, weird.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of freeways
Noun
  • Local governments can evaluate where these machines operate and whether particular routes create safety hazards.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Before any aid moves, mines will be cleared on the routes into the city, Lubinets said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of routes
Noun
  • The center sits near the Dolphin and Palmetto expressways and Interstate 95, adjacent to the Waterford Blue Lagoon Business District.
    — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of expressways

Browse Nearby Words

road rage
roads
roadstead
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Cite this Entry

“Roads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roads. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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