freeway

freeway — noun

1. a very wide road in the US that is built for driving at high speeds, with specia

1.nounB1
Definition

a very wide road in the US that is built for driving at high speeds, with special entrance and exit ramps and no traffic lights or intersections

Example

Selim took the freeway to work this morning to avoid city traffic.

collocation: take the freeway

The freeway was closed for three hours after a truck overturned near the airport.

passive: freeway was closed

Common collocations
  • take the freeway
  • get on the freeway
  • get off the freeway
  • freeway exit
  • freeway entrance
  • freeway ramp
  • freeway traffic
  • freeway lane
Synonyms
  • highway

    broader term covering any main public road, may have traffic lights and intersections

  • expressway

    similar to a freeway but may include some at-grade intersections

  • motorway

    British English equivalent; always a controlled-access road

  • interstate

    part of the US Interstate Highway System; always a freeway but specifically federal

Usage Note

In the UK and other Commonwealth countries, the equivalent road is called a motorway. The word freeway is used mainly in the western and southwestern United States; in other US regions, highway or expressway may be more common.

Common Mistakes

Take the highway to get there faster — it has no traffic lights.
Take the freeway to get there faster
it has no traffic lights.' — A highway can have traffic lights and intersections; a freeway cannot.
We drove on the freeway from London to Manchester.
We drove on the motorway from London to Manchester.
Freeway is American English; in the UK use motorway.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Freeway, highway, expressway, and motorway all describe major roads, but they differ in design and regional usage. A freeway is a fully controlled-access road with entry and exit ramps and no traffic lights or intersections — it is the standard term in the western and southwestern United States. Highway is a broader category: any main public road connecting cities or towns, and many highways do have traffic lights, cross streets, and driveways. An expressway is like a freeway but may still include some at-grade intersections or traffic lights. Motorway is the British English term for a freeway-equivalent road with controlled access. For example: 'Take the freeway (I-5) to San Diego' vs. 'The old highway through town has six traffic lights' vs. 'The M25 motorway circles London.'

freeway ↗highway ↗expresswaymotorway ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • freeway exit
  • freeway entrance
  • freeway ramp
  • freeway lane
  • freeway traffic

Phrases

  • take the freeway
  • get on the freeway
  • get off the freeway
  • enter the freeway

Prepositions

  • on the freeway
  • off the freeway

Etymology

Old EnglishAmerican English

Freeway is a compound of 'free' and 'way,' first used in the United States around 1930. The 'free' refers to the free-flowing movement of traffic (no stops, no intersections), not to the absence of toll charges. The term was promoted by early highway engineers in California who wanted a word for roads designed for uninterrupted high-speed travel.