driveway

driveway — noun

1. a hard flat surface between a private house and a public road where the people w

1.nounA2
Definition

a hard flat surface between a private house and a public road where the people who live there can park their cars

Example

The postman left the package at the end of the driveway.

collocation: end of the driveway

Aiko washed her car in the driveway every Saturday morning.

Common collocations
  • concrete driveway
  • gravel driveway
  • paved driveway
  • long driveway
  • narrow driveway
  • steep driveway
  • private driveway
  • shared driveway
  • end of the driveway
  • top of the driveway
  • bottom of the driveway
Synonyms
  • drive

    shorter form used mainly in British English for a private road leading to a house

  • private road

    broader term; can refer to any road not maintained by the local government, not just the short strip in front of a house

Usage Note

Common prepositions with 'driveway' include 'into' (pull into the driveway), 'in' (parked in the driveway), and 'up' (walked up the driveway). Unlike a public street, a driveway is privately owned.

Common Mistakes

I left my car on the road in front of my house.
I left my car in the driveway.
'on the road' suggests a public street; 'in the driveway' means on private property next to the house.
I parked my car at the garage.' (when you mean the paved area outside it)
I parked my car in the driveway next to the garage.
'garage' is the enclosed building; 'driveway' is the open paved area.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Driveway, drive, private road, and access road all refer to a road or path that leads from a public street to a building. 'Driveway' is the most common everyday term in American English for the paved strip right in front of a house where residents park. 'Drive' is more common in British English for the same concept and can also form part of a street name (e.g. 'Willow Drive'). 'Private road' is much broader — it can describe any road not maintained by the government, including long unpaved lanes serving several properties. 'Access road' usually refers to a road built to reach a specific facility such as a factory, hospital, or business park rather than a single home. For instance, you would say 'I pulled into the driveway after work' for a house, but 'the access road leads to the warehouse' for a commercial site.

drive ↗private roadaccess road

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • end of the driveway
  • top of the driveway
  • bottom of the driveway
  • edge of the driveway

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed by combining the verb 'drive' (from Old English drīfan, meaning 'to push or move forward') with 'way' (from Old English weg, meaning 'a path or road'). The compound 'driveway' first appeared in the late 1800s as cars began to replace horse-drawn carriages, taking the place of earlier terms like 'carriageway' or 'carriage drive'.