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 An application request filed with the city of Meridian shows plans for a 24,000-square-foot micro-hospital on South Rackham Way, near the northeast corner of Eagle and Overland roads, south of Interstate 84. — Rose Evans july 24, Idaho Statesman, 24 July 2026 The late 2023 fire gutted the LaVista Road apartment complex, shut down nearby roads and affected more than 200 residents. — Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 24 July 2026 While the traffic, McCabe hopes, will shift to other city roads or the highway, significant intersections like on Wornall, State Line and Holmes are expected to be backed up. — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026 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 happens when a vehicle starts sliding uncontrollably on wet roads. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 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
  • The district is less than two hours from the capital of San José through paved highways or a ferry, with small plane options available.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026
  • Most of these hotels, motels and motor lodges were built around the same time the federal government began numbering highways (like Route 66) in the mid-1920s.
    — Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of highways
Noun
  • Another term in the CN-UP memorandum aims to quell one of the STB’s concerns about Union Pacific’s potential controlling ownership of multiple local railroads that are currently jointly owned by the Class Is.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 July 2026
  • Consumer brands, insurance companies, railroads, banks, utilities, and industrial companies generally fit that framework.
    — Steve Brozak, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of railroads
Noun
  • The bike unit was previously near 10th and L streets by the state Capitol.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 26 July 2026
  • The campaign has taken the protests demanding accountability and education reforms beyond the streets, broadening its reach and intensifying pressure on a government wary of appearing to yield to a rapidly growing youth movement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
Definition of streets
Noun
  • In recent days, the US has expanded its targets beyond Iranian coastal sites housing radar and drone facilities to include roads, tunnels, railways, port infrastructure and, according to Iranian media, a desalination plant.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • But airstrikes have recently extended to infrastructure, such as railways that could be used to ferry weapons.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 18 July 2026
Definition of railways
Noun
  • Officials in La Grange are looking at how to improve one of the main thoroughfares in town.
    — Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 17 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
  • Despite having only four cylinders, the TurboMax produces V8-like torque, making the Canyon feel eager pulling away from traffic lights or merging onto freeways.
    — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of freeways
Noun
  • Bab al-Mandab, which translates as the Gate of Tears, is located at the southern end of the Red Sea and is a critical gateway to the Suez Canal, linking Europe and Asia through one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
    — Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Dipping up and down between mountains and villages, the path takes walkers along Edo-period highways, old mining roads, and ancient routes used for shugendo, Japanese spiritual tradition involving ascetic training on mountain pilgrimages.
    — Gloria Liu, Travel + Leisure, 20 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, 26 May 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
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Cite this Entry

“Roads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roads. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of roads for Spanish Speakers

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