roadways

noun

plural of roadway
as in highways
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel a cow wandered into the roadway

Synonyms & Similar 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 roadways If approved, the legislation would extend exemptions to class cars built between 1976 and 1985 that are used primarily for exhibition purposes and have limited use on public roadways. — Darrielle Fair, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 Critics like Carlock have noted that the space can feel disjointed for pedestrians, as roadways and cars still have the urban authority. — Ashley Gardini, JSTOR Daily, 12 Aug. 2026 The strong currents from flash floods can pull drivers off roadways. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 Traffic signals are being upgraded in Poway to improve traffic flow on the roadways, first on Espola Road and later on Poway Road. — Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2026 Locally heavy rain will quickly reduce visibility and result in ponding of water on roadways, standing water in low lying areas, and minor flooding of creeks, streams, and areas of poor drainage. — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 11 July 2026 Owings added that a traffic study was completed and there won’t be an impact on nearby roadways. — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026 Prosecutors in both Wyandotte County and Jackson County have confirmed that Oscar Sanchez-Munoz, the man accused of firing shots at vehicles along Kansas City roadways and killing one man in June, is dead. — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 30 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roadways
  1. highways
  2. roads
  3. thoroughfares
  4. streets
  5. freeways
  6. expressways
  7. routes
  8. boulevards
Noun
  • Social media put the storm’s effects on display, with videos of floodwaters leaving cars stranded on highways, stormwater runoff erupting onto city streets and waterfalls cascading onto the subway tracks at Penn Station.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Abdeen drove across the highways of newly independent countries.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of highways
Noun
  • Police urged residents to stay off the roads while cleanup and recovery efforts continue.
    — Ross DiMattei, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • That becomes particularly dangerous in cities, where roads, parking lots and buildings prevent rain from soaking into the ground.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of roads
Noun
  • The councilmember acknowledged the overhaul of Hopkins Street was a monumental decision, one that would reshape transportation on one of the major thoroughfares connecting East and West Berkeley.
    — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • For example, in the San Fernando Valley, a person could leave the car at home when in walking proximity to bus lines on major thoroughfares, such as Line 165 on Vanowen Street that connects Burbank to West Hills.
    — Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of thoroughfares
Noun
  • Among the changes needed on the city’s streets was the welding of more than 200 manhole covers to ensure the race cars don’t suck them up off the road.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The city feels theatrical and alive, with open-air theaters, cinemas, and a vibrant arts scene that spills into its streets.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of streets
Noun
  • Born to Mary Florence Webb, a nurse, and John Sherman Heilmann, a civil engineer, Heilmann split her childhood between the Bay Area and, after her father took a job building freeways, Los Angeles, by way of El Segundo, a seaside village nearby.
    — Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Even the buildings themselves — a trio of vast, anonymous boxes tucked into the crook of two freeways — were plagued with problems.
    — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of freeways
Noun
  • The firm noted that major bridges like the Donghai Bridge and the Hangzhou Bay Bridge, as well as regional expressways, have reopened with standard speed limits restored.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of expressways
Noun
  • While the long-legged aisle-hoggers among us might not relate, travelers lucky enough to settle into the window seat on certain flight routes can look forward to quite the show ahead of touchdown.
    — Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Oman has reportedly been working with Iran on a plan to define transit routes for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of routes
Noun
  • The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is circulating photos of 27 people seen earlier this month at the auto supply business at Atlantic and Olympic boulevards.
    — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The following day, several reports came in from Roseville residents who spotted a bear near Foothills Boulevard between Blue Oaks and Pleasant Grove boulevards.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of boulevards

Browse Nearby Words

roadway
roadways
roam
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Roadways.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roadways. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on roadways

Nglish: Translation of roadways 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 prowess

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All