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highway

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A main public road.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

hyway

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈhaɪweɪ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A main public road, especially a multi-lane, high-speed thoroughfare.

  2. lawrail transport

    A major road for any form of motor transport

  3. A number of places in England

  4. A number of places in the Philippines

  5. lawrail transport

    Any public road for vehicular traffic.

  6. A western suburb of Maidenhead, Windsor and Maidenhead borough, Berkshire (OS grid ref SU8680).

verb

  1. To travel on a highway

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A main public road, especially a multi-lane, high-speed thoroughfare.

Used this way, highway is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use highway

  • “Traffic was moving slowly on the highway during rush hour.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Main / public

main highway

Neighbourhood

state highway

Other combinations

highway systemhighway patrolhighway robberyinformation highwaynational highwayfederal highway

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • highway systemnounCompound term

    A transportation system consisting of roads for motor transport.

  • highway engineernounCompound term

    A civil engineer who specializes in the design and construction of roads and highways.

  • highway codenounCompound term

    The code of rules governing the use of public roads.

  • highway robberynounCompound term

    An exorbitant price.

  • divided highwaynounCompound term

    A highway divided down the middle by a barrier that separates traffic going in different directions.

  • interstate highwaynounCompound term

    One of the system of highways linking major cities in the 48 contiguous states of the United States.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: main public road or especially a multi-lane

main road

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.