road

noun

ˈrōd How to pronounce road (audio)
Definition of roadnext
1
as in highway
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 railroad
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 road Russian assaults since Thursday have forced the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv’s six road bridges, causing traffic jams in Moscow’s latest effort to disrupt life in the Ukrainian capital. — Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 No lights shone from blocks of flats; no sounds of traffic came from any road. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 And neither Atlanta Public Schools nor Atlanta fire had answers for why buses and a firetruck were not told the road was blocked. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026 And the road toward whatever the final destination is starts now. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for road
Recent Examples of Synonyms for road
  1. highway
  2. railroad
  3. street
  4. railway
  5. thoroughfare
  6. freeway
  7. route
  8. expressway
Noun
  • Dyed diesel is not available at most ordinary gas stations or truck stops, and it is normally prohibited for highway use.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In video obtained by KTLA-TV, an SUV can be seen traveling along the highway before smashing into another car.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of highway
Noun
  • In the past, economies ran on toll roads and railroads and pipelines that were physical.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • American railroads were once the envy of the world and the engine of its industrial age.
    — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of railroad
Noun
  • This network, which comprises 14% of city streets where 75% of crashes occur, was updated in the new Vision Zero action plan.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The interiors lean soft with warm textures and plenty of natural light, while rooms (despite being near a busy shopping street) are designed to keep you peaceful and comfortable.
    — Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of street
Noun
  • In mid-September, drones reached the western Ukrainian city of Lutsk, setting a passenger railway carriage on fire.
    — Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
  • If fighting in Ethiopia’s Afar region threatens the highway and railway linking Addis Ababa to Djibouti, the conflict would have immediate national and international economic consequences.
    — Alemayehu Fentaw Weldemariam, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of railway
Noun
  • This, Rostov’s main thoroughfare, wasn’t illuminated by the familiar bright glare of its many street lamps, or by light from its windows, now blacked out, but emerged from the darkness all the more gently in a milky cloak of moonlight.
    — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The massive project funded from 13 federal, state and local agencies, gives a glimpse of what’s to come for Long Beach thoroughfares.
    — Barbara Kingsley-Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of thoroughfare
Noun
  • The group listens intently as a symphony of airplanes, freeway traffic and the ploop!
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Vehicles drive on the 405 freeway (overpass) past a US flag displayed outside of the Marathon Petroleum Corp.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of freeway
Noun
  • The South Asian country meets nearly 85% of its fuel needs via imports, with the Strait of Hormuz being a key supply route before the war.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The route is expected to come into service next summer, albeit using slower trains that won’t cover the planned 316 miles.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of route
Noun
  • 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
  • The driver is also alleged to have made a U-turn from a through lane after exiting the expressway, according to the affidavit.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of expressway

Phrases Containing road

Browse Nearby Words

roaches
road
roadblock
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Cite this Entry

“Road.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/road. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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